Path Of Life
by blueoceannymph789
Summary: I had to leave and find myself. I had to become stronger and a respectful kunoichi. So that I can protect the ones I love.Like Naruto is...Like Sasuke was."said Sakura in a low tone. Tsunade looked at her, her eyes shining with tears."It's been 3 years!"
1. 1Rain

The waterfall was shining under the warm sky. It seemed to Sakura like it was raining diamonds. She felt the humid sparkles on her face and licked the fresh water from her lips. The feeling was breathtaking. She had not felt this calm and peaceful for so long, it was bliss from heavens.

Sakura smiled to herself and felt whole. Like everything was finally in its place. Like the pieces of the puzzle were all set, except this one piece that was still missing.

She sighed and turned her gaze towards the lake that was hidden beneath the clouds of vapor.

"I am finally strong." she whispered to herself. Her voice was faint under the loud music of the crashing waterfall.

She observed every last detail of the waterfall when she reached with her turquoise eyes the top of the waterfall where huge cherry trees were dancing in the breeze. Their pink petals fell like snow, after being drifted by the massive flow of the waterfall.

She smiled to her beautiful creation and, grabbing her stuff, made her way back home… .

________________

It's been three years since Sakura left her master and Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves Tsunade.

Tsunade was sitting by her desk observing the village. Not much had changed.

The sky was covered with thick dark clouds, which threatened to destroy a wonderful afternoon. She heard voices coming from outside her office but didn't pay attention.

The last few days she was having dreams of her student. Strange ones. She was always in danger and was fighting ninjas from non existing villages and she always lost. One dream made her wake up in the middle of the night with tears in her eyes. She had seen Sakura being a Jinchuuriki. The girl with the pink hair was lying on the ground and screaming. Her body was in spasms and her breathing was unsteady. She was being eaten from the inside by the monster that was living in her. Tsunade was standing there watching and crying Sakura's name, unable to move. The transformed face of her beloved Sakura was stuck in her head since the minute she had woken up.

Tsunade felt a stab in her chest and lost her rhythm of breathing for a moment.

"Argh, what is the meaning of this?" she wondered massaging her ribs where her heart was.

A loud thunder echoed from far beyond the clouds.

"I must have a drink."

Tsunade grabbed her long dark green cloak and left her office.

________________

"Oh Tsunade-sama, what are you doing here? You'll catch a cold and then who will run this village?" complained Shizune. She was standing behind Tsunade holding a huge red umbrella and Tonton in her other arm.

Tsunade was feeling dizzy, like a thunder had stricken her. She couldn't feel her hands or her legs anymore. The rain was so heavy, Tsunade was feeling like being beaten by a rope again and again.

The cries of Shizune faded as Tsunade made her way towards the gate of Konoha. The ninja guards were surprised by her sudden appearance, especially under this heavy rain. But she didn't care. All she cared about right now was to find out what had happened to Sakura. These nightmares of hers had not appeared out of nothing. It was a sign. And Tsunade had to find out. She loved Sakura. She was like a daughter to her, like a younger sister. She was all she had precious, after losing a brother and a lover. If something had happened to her, Tsunade would do anything to fix it. She was even willing to give her life for Sakura.

The guards, followed by a terrified Shizune, tried to stop Tsunade. She seemed like sleepwalking, but she could not hear anything they said. Only mumbles behind the sound of the rain. She loved the chill and the numbness of her limbs.

Her hand raised on its own signaling the guards and Shizune to stop, as she slowly disappeared in the woods outside Konoha.

Shizune was feeling her heart beating faster than usual. Something must have happened, she thought. She had seen Tsunade drinking again, but she never had behaved like this before.

"Call Jiraya, NOW!" she ordered one of the guards. He immediately signaled his hands in a quick gesture and disappeared behind a small fog. The other guard came closer to Shizune. His dark blue eyes were worried.

"What is wrong, Shizune-sama? What happened?" he asked.

"I do not know, but I _will _find out. She can't just walk away from me like that. Keep an eye on her, please."

The ninja nodded and with a leap disappeared from her view.

Tonton moved in her lap and squeaked lightly.

"Oh, I wish I knew." she said to him.

_______________

The guard ninja who had left to find Jiraya came back to the gate of Konoha followed by another ninja. He was tall and hidden beneath a dark red cloak. The hood was covering his half face, but Shizune knew exactly who this was. The way he jumped and landed in front of her was unique.

"Where is Jiraya-sama?" Shizune demanded from the two ninjas. Her voice was shaking.

"I don't know where the heck he is, probably in some other village with nice hot springs picking up on girls. But I wanna know where granny-Tsunade is." The loud voice of Naruto echoed under the hood.

Shizune could see a smile on his face.

"Long time no see, Naruto-san!" she said.

"What's up with granny-Tsunade?"

"I don't know. You two go and find her and Naruto, please bring her back to her minds. You may be the only one who can."

Naruto put a hand on her shoulder making her shiver for a second.

He smiled broadly to her.

"I will!"

The ninja and Naruto disappeared in the woods with a tremendous speed.

Shizune sighed and went towards the Hokage Tower.

_______________

Tsunade was running as fast as she could. She got rid of her high heels and her cloak which were getting in her way. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears and her limbs had finally gotten warm after running. The raindrops were becoming heavier every minute that passed.

"Sakura, where are you?"

The trees were moving by her fast, like the world was turning faster. The air was becoming cold and the breeze had transformed into a strong wind.

The weather has gone mad, Tsunade thought.

Sakura was all over her mind. Random memories had awaken, like when she had come for the first time in her office requesting her help to become a strong ninja. The little girl she was back then was another person to the young woman who had left her three years ago.

"I want to see the world, meet new people, and become stronger. This is what I want to do." she had said to her as they were walking in the training field, where Sakura used to train with her former teammates, Naruto and Sasuke.

"Oh Sakura!" Tsunade shouted to herself feeling a tense warmth growing in her eyes.

Suddenly, a faint sound echoed from her right.

Tsunade halted and kneeling on a gigantic branch of a tree tried to distinguish who was there behind the bushes.


	2. 2Memory

**Thanx for reading the story :)**

**Well the background it happens after the destruction of Konoha by the Akatsuki. Most things are imaginary as I do not own Naruto...**

**Please review, any critic is welcome - I mean it! -**

**And pardon me for _weird_ mistakes - english is my second language:(**

**HAVE FUN!!!**

Kakashi was walking towards Tsunade with his casual style and his hands inside his pockets. His face was half covered by a thin dark cloth and only one dark grey coloured eye was visible. His Sharingan was hidden beneath his Konoha badge, as it was too tiring to see through it. It was a sacrifice that had saved him many times, the reason he was known in the ninja world as the Copy Ninja. Most importantly it was the last wish of his very best friend.

Tsunade seemed scared to hell for a moment before she realized it was only Kakashi. He frowned wondering what caused her so much worry. He knew the Hokage enough to know when she was acting weird. Like now.

"What are you doing here, Kakashi?" her voice was harsh, like she was annoyed by his presence.

Kakashi smiled under the cloth.

"A little bird told me you left in a hurry."

"What bird?" sounded a deep voice. Pakkun, one of Kakashi's ninja hounds appeared next to him. His sad eyes were disappointed.

"Do not stop me Kakashi." Tsunade warned him. She wore an angry face creating wrinkles on her perfect skin. Kakashi noticed shiny tears in her eyes. Her hair was messy and glued on her face and shoulders as the pouring rain fell from the sky.

Kakashi became serious noticing the great worry in Tsunade's light brown eyes.

"I didn't come to stop you. I thought you might need my help to search this someone you're looking for."

Tsunade frowned. She closed her eyes for a second.

Kakashi wiped the raindrops that fell on his one eye. What on earth could have happened to her. He had never seen her so scared and worried before.

Tsunade opened her eyes, as she had swallowed her tears. Her thin eyebrows almost looked as one as she approached Kakashi. Now she looked really determined, he thought.

"Summon the rest of your hounds. We will need them." She ordered him.

Kakashi didn't ask for more information. He knew Tsunade as one of the most stubborn people he ever knew, after Naruto of course. He also knew that Tsunade trusted him, so she would eventually tell him what had happened when the time was right.

Kakashi signaled the summoning jutsu and after biting his finger to bleeding, he touched the tree branch beneath him.

Behind a puff! of smoke, seven ninja hounds appeared. They were all wearing cloths around their necks with their names in Japanese. They all barked happily as they were seldom summoned all together.

"Hey, Kakashi!" a brown hound with dark freckles greeted.

"What a rain!" complained a taller hound wrapped in bandages.

"Oh man, I had just taken a bath and now I'm soaking wet again. Oh!"

"Shut up, something must have happened if we were to be summoned like that."

"Well, how can a ninja hound work if he is not feeling _good_. Now I am _not _feeling good, so I won't be effective in my work! Just because you like smelling like a stray-"

"Hey, guys!" barked Pakkun turning his gaze towards Tsunade.

She looked really angry now. Kakashi brushed his silver hair with his hand nervously. That's why he did not summon them so often.

"Oh, Hokage-sama! Please excuse us! If we knew you were here, we would have behaved properly." said apologetically a huge brown hound, the largest of them all.

"So you say you didn't sense my scent?" she asked harshly.

The hounds looked perplexed and exchanged looks.

"Heh!"

"Yeah, well…!"

"Hmm!"

"This is perfect! You are wasting my time! Can you sniff scents or not? Because if you can't, you are now useless to me!" shouted Tsunade. Her voice was trembling.

Kakashi felt embarrassed for a moment.

"Yes, they can. Do not worry, I will lead them." he said calmly.

She looked at him. Her eyes seemed like shooting missiles.

"Great! This is what I want you to find." Tsunade said looking at the hounds as she pulled a red cloth out of her pocket of her trousers. This is when Kakashi noticed she was barefoot. Didn't she love those heels of hers, he wondered not showing any emotion.

When she unfolded the cloth, so that the hounds could smell it, he noticed it was a short-sleeved shirt. When he saw a white circle on the back of it he recognized whom Tsunade was so desperately looking for. He felt his heart missing a beat at the thought of his fellow student. It's been so long, he thought.

When all the hounds sniffed Sakura's shirt, they turned towards Kakashi.

"It is Sakura Haruno we are looking for." said Pakkun.

Kakashi looked at Tsunade. She was examining his reaction, although not much could be seen, he knew she had noticed the worry and fear in his eyes.

"Divide into three groups. Pakkun you come with Tsunade and me." He ordered them and, after barking in approval, they scattered in the woods.

Kakashi threw a glance at Tsunade and with Pakkun leading they headed north towards the borders of the Sand Village.

______________

After five days of walking, Sakura was enjoying herself a warm cup of tea at the Sand Village.

Here the sun was shining and the dry warmth had surrounded the village. It never rained here, something that made her feel sad for the villagers. She had grown feeling respect for every droplet of water that fell from the skies. Maybe if I were fire-natured I wouldn't feel like that, she thought to herself.

The small tea-shop was empty. Who would want to drink warm tea on such a warm day.

Sakura sighed thinking of Konoha. Her home was only three days ahead of her. She felt scared for a moment as her eyes were observing the empty tea cup.

What will happen when they see me again after so long, she thought. The looks of Tsunade, Naruto, everyone of the village. What would they be thinking of me, after I vanished like that.

The thought of Naruto worried her most. They were the only ones left of the original Team 7. He was the most devastated of the both, but she wasn't strong enough to deal with their best friend's death.

"Sasuke…!" she whispered to the cup.

They had finally got together again when destiny destroyed their most beautiful memory. Sasuke had died to save Naruto and her. He died to save the village and his best friends. After so long, after he had finally avenged his brother Itachi, he had come back, and they had welcomed him with broad hugs.

Sakura remembered the day they were sitting at their training field in the woods of Konoha, where they had promised to each other to never abandon their team. They would forever be Team 7!

Diamond tears reached the tea cup. The faint sound of their drop awakened Sakura as she quickly wiped her tears away.

"I was weak." she whispered and lifted her head to see the sun shining through a small window. She took a deep breath and, after paying the nice lady for her service, left the tea-shop.

Suddenly she bumped on a dark figure dropping her wallet. A hand grabbed it and handed it to her. When she lifted her head to see who it was, she smiled broadly.

_________________

"The signs were so many. In the beginning I took them for granted, but the last dream woke me up literally. Something must have happened to her." Tsunade told Kakashi.

They were running towards the Sand Village.

All the ninja hounds agreed that Sakura's smell came from that direction so Kakashi decided to keep Pakkun and Akino with him.

In two days we will be there, he thought.

"She will be fine." he said trying to encourage Tsunade. She had left her nightmares take over her, something Kakashi knew she would never do under normal circumstances. Tsunade was one of the strongest ninjas he knew and only her love for an important person would make her act like that. Kakashi observed her face with the corner of his eye. She must really love that girl.

But seeing Tsunade so worried didn't help him. It was like she was transmitting her bad mood towards everyone around her. Even Pakkun was asking questions about Sakura's well-being.

Kakashi remembered the day he had reunited with his original Team 7. It was the happiest day of his life. Seeing Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura together again, kissing and hugging each other, like the time they were apart only brought them closer. He had felt proud that day. He had the best students and they had grown to be the best ninjas in Konoha. He smiled at that memory.

But that perfect happiness vanished when the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of Naruto decided to destroy them.

"Kakashi." he heard suddenly Tsunade calling under the pouring rain. It hadn't rained like this for years.

Kakashi turned his gaze towards the Hokage. She wore a faint smile on her beautiful face.

"Thank you!"

Kakashi smiled back to her after some moments digesting what she had just said to him.

"You are not Sakura's only teacher." he commented staring straight ahead trying to remember Sakura's face. How would she be like now after three years, he wondered. He could remember her sweet smile and her short pink hair waving across her face. He remembered her crying the day Sasuke had returned to Konoha. He remembered her determination every time she was using healing jutsus. He remembered the terror in her turquoise eyes when she saw Sasuke die.

He forced his eyes not to cry, hoping Tsunade had not noticed his sadness.

The sky seemed to reflect Tsunade's and Kakashi's feelings perfectly, as they were running restless through the huge trees of the Fire Country.


	3. 3Rose

**Here is the next chapter...**

**HAVE FUN!!!**

"Oh dear, that's a surprise! How are you doing, Sakura?" said Temari. She was quite taller than Sakura and her big blonde hair was tied in a single bobtail that was dancing in every direction due to the slight breeze. Her huge green eyes were shining like the sun and she wore a wide smile. She was wearing a black dress on top of baggy trousers. Her usual ninja weapon, a huge colourful fan was hanging behind her back.

Sakura and Temari hugged and kissed each other on the cheek.

"I am great Temari-san, thank you! How about you?" Sakura asked putting her wallet back in her backpack.

"Oh, I am fine. Patrolling under the Kazekage's demand!" she laughed leaning a bit towards Sakura.

Sakura felt like no time had passed. Seeing Temari reminded her all of the missions she had been, with Naruto, Sasuke, Sai. She felt so comfortable being with someone she could be something else than a ninja.

"Isn't it time for you to become Kazekage?" Sakura joked.

Temari looked her in the eyes happily.

"Please, this is not for me. I'm too clumsy and irresponsible for something like this. No. Would you?" said Temari raising an eyebrow.

Sakura laughed.

"I' m not sure, I don't think so to be honest."

"Please, let me take you to Gaara. He would be pleased to see Naruto's best friend. How is he, by the way?" asked Temari hugging Sakura with one arm leading her towards a tall round building made by compressed sand, like every building in the Sand Village.

Sakura thought of the hyper-energized blonde boy, who could make her happy like no one else could. He was her best friend, her only friend. She wished he would not be mad at her.

"I do not know, Temari-san. I-I haven't been in Konoha for three years." She admitted staring at the sandy ground.

She felt Temari's gaze staring at her. She looked serious as Sakura turned to look at her.

"Three years! That's a long time. Don't worry though, Naruto is not the Hokage. Yet!" said Temari smiling again.

"I am sure I would have found out if that had happened!" joked Sakura.

"But he recently became jonin. Can you believe it? Because I don't!" Temari spoke really quickly and Sakura needed a moment to proccess it.

"He _what_?" Sakura was shocked.

Naruto a jonin. That was real news. She imagined Naruto guiding a team of genins. Well if Naruto _is _a jonin then he must be with Hinata as well, she thought and promised to herself to first witness it before believing it.

Together they entered a round door that was guarded by two ninjas. They greeted Temari and her guest.

The inside of the Kazekage Tower was magnificent, nothing compared to the outer simplicity of the building. Huge drawings of the Sand Village hang on the walls, showing its changes throughout the years of its history.

Sakura noticed a yellowish drawing showing the Kazekage Tower with two figures standing in front of it holding each other around their shoulders. The one figure was definitely the Kazekage of that time. He had red hair and was wearing the formal white cloak of the Kazekage with red markings on it. Next to him was the Second Hokage of Konoha, Tobirama Senju, whom Sakura recognized immediately. His grey hair seemed strangely yellow-green because of the age of the drawing.

On top of the stairs, Temari and Sakura were climbing, hang a drawing showing the Sand Village with something floating in the sky above it. Sakura thought at first it was the moon, but a closer look changed it. It was Gaara inside his half broken sand cocoon. That is a beautiful drawing, she thought. She remembered the story of the attack of an Akatsuki member, Deidara, who attempted to capture Gaara, as the latter used to be a Jinchuuriki. She hadn't seen the actual fight, but she had heard stories about it being one of the most dangerous threats the Sand Village had encountered.

Sakura smiled thinking of Gaara's change throughout the years. From a young self-destructive and dangerous boy, he had grown to become the strongest Kazekage of the Sand Village and the most popular ninja in the Fire Country.

The stairs lead to a corridor with many small windows expanding on the one side letting the warm rays of the sun filling the place with light. The tiny particles of sand on the walls shined.

Temari guided Sakura towards a big door at the end of the corridor.

"He will be so pleased to see you!" she said grabbing Sakura's hand and knocking on the door with the other.

"It is Temari with a friend." Temari shouted.

"Enter." sounded a deep voice from the inside.

Temari opened the door happily and stormed inside.

Sakura blinked in order to distinguish Gaara.

He was sitting in the far end of a big round chamber behind a wooden desk. In front of him huge amounts of paperwork was lying. This reminded Sakura of a woman who so much hated paperwork.

Sakura saw Temari approaching Gaara with big steps. She put a hand on his shoulder smiling back to Sakura.

Gaara's most extinguishing feature would be his too light blue eyes that hardly made contrast to the white of his eyes. The red tattoo _Love _on his forehead was half covered by his dark red hair.

He smiled hardly.

"It is nice to see you, Gaara-san!" greeted Sakura smiling.

"Come closer, please." he said. His deep voice was echoing strangely in the big chamber. The formal white Kazekage cloak was falling from his shoulders.

As Sakura approached him, she noticed a glass with a red rose on his desk. She could easily smell the sweet scent of it.

Gaara stood up and passed Temari to stand in front of Sakura.

They shook hands.

"How are you, Gaara-san?" Sakura asked feeling a bit awkward under Gaara's gaze. Their eyes were in the same height and that made Sakura feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Fine. How about you?"

Sakura moved her head to take a better look in the Kazekage's chamber.

"Good! Well, I notice you haven't changed much the decoration in here." she commented.

Gaara didn't pay much attention to her words. He was still watching her, not blinking once.

"How is Naruto?" he asked.

Sakura swallowed dry air not knowing what to say.

She noticed luckily Temari coming from behind Gaara.

"Sakura was on a trip. She hasn't seen Naruto for three years!" she told Gaara standing next to him.

"Three years?" he asked, although it sounded more like a statement.

He still didn't show much emotion, Sakura thought.

"Yes, I was training." she said.

"Three years, you mean ever since the disaster in Konoha?" asked Temari. Her eyes were suddenly shocked.

Sakura knew that everyone in the Fire Country and beyond knew of what had happened in Konoha three years ago. It was like a review of the first attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox in Konoha, eighteen years ago.

Sakura turned her gaze towards the floor.

"Yes."

They fell in silence.

Sakura could feel Gaara's intense stare on her. Could he see into her? Could he feel what she was feeling? For a moment she wished he could. It would lessen the burden she was carrying for so long, at least a bit, so that she could breathe again.

"So you are heading back, aren't you?" asked Temari after some minutes of silence.

Sakura nodded.

When she lifted her head she saw Gaara smiling sympathizing at her. She felt a sudden wave of courage running in her veins. She smiled faintly.

Gaara leaned on her and hugged her. Sakura lost her breathing for a moment that felt like eternity. She felt all her worries drown in the peace that took over her. The peace that was leaving her gradually with every step she took closer to Konoha.

The Kazekage tightened his arms around her before releasing her. Temari was smiling next to him.

Sakura felt hot tears on her cheeks.

"Naruto will be more than glad to see you again, Sakura-san!" he said in a low voice.

Sakura wiped her tears away taking a deep breath.

"Thank you!"

Gaara turned towards his desk.

"Temari, please be kind to escort Sakura to our neighbours. I think she wouldn't want to waste any more time away from her home."

Sakura sighed and smiled widely.

Temari grabbed her hand and gave her a handkerchief she had in one of her pockets.

Sakura took it and thanked her.

Before leaving the Kazekage's chamber, Sakura took a last glance at Gaara and saw him smell the rose on his desk.

He has changed, she thought and smiled.


	4. 4Sweet

**Thank you for reading the story :)**

**I'd be even more happy if you reviewed...but that's up to you**

**So here is the chapter "Sweet"**

**HAVE FUN!!!**

Tsunade and Kakashi, leaded by Pakkun and Akino, had already crossed the dense forest that surrounded Konoha. No wonder why it was also known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Kakashi was more than happy to finally feel the dry warmth of the desert. The rain in the woods had tired him and he was sure he had caught a cold. His bones were shivering sometimes and he coughed often. Tsunade beside him was more determined than ever. The fact that she was wearing fewer clothes than he was had no effect on her health. She looked healthy as a horse. The only features of tiredness were dark circles under her eye bags.

Kakashi couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed for his bad luck. He was, hopefully, about to meet his fellow student after so long and he looked in a mess. His one visible eye was watering every time he coughed and he couldn't control the shivering. He was sure Sakura had seen him in much worse condition, but right now he only felt annoyed.

The sun was about to set for another day. The sand of the desert was glowing like a sea of gold under the last rays of the sun.

Kakashi could already feel the warmth vanishing, causing more shivers throughout his body. He coughed and, while running, rubbed his forehead.

A fever is all that's missing, he thought to himself.

"Are you alright?" he heard Tsunade's voice. She sounded somehow concerned.

Kakashi didn't look at her. All he wanted was to take a nap, but he was on a secret mission with the Hokage. She was leading, he had to be strong. How could a simple cold make him so weak.

Tsunade suddenly stopped. Pakkun and Akino stopped as well sensing her halt. Kakashi was already a few feet away, when he stopped. He was out of breath. He leaned trying to keep his balance holding his knees. He had never got that sick before.

Tsunade and the two ninja hounds approached him with worried looks.

"We shall rest here for a while." Tsunade said. Her voice had become softer.

Pakkun barked agreeing with the Hokage.

Kakashi stood up straight looking serious at Tsunade.

"We are not far away from the Sand Village." he said.

He grunted as his bones shivered once more.

"Not with you like this, Kakashi. Lay down." now she ordered him.

This tone of her voice was the one she always used during councils and meetings. It was her Hokage-voice.

Kakashi nodded feeling defeated and ridiculous next to Tsunade. How could Shizune stand her all day long. He sat on the sand which was still warm from the sun's heat. The light was already reduced, making the horizon disappear in the night. Kakashi could see the stars coming out, as it was now their turn to shine. Tsunade was standing in front of Kakashi and signaled a quick jutsu muttering under her breathe some words. She touched her forefinger on the ground and at that spot a fire emerged.

Kakashi felt immediately better, as the shivers calmed down. The smell of the smoke and the light eased his thoughts. He felt sleepy.

His one eye was half closed. The last thing he saw before falling to sleep were Pakkun's sad eyes.

______________

Sweet. So sweet. The sweetness had filled his nostrils, his entire system. It was so beautiful, his entire body welcomed it. His eyes were watery, his heart was beating faster, his legs were shaking, his mind was travelling.

Oh how sweet.

He blinked several times, but he could only see darkness. Pitch black darkness.

But the sweetness was there.

Like a ghost made of fruity sugar. Fresh and sweet. So beautiful.

Suddenly, the darkness faded creating blurry pictures of trees and a blue sky.

He blinked again and again and again until the picture in front of him was clear. He looked at his feet seeing a tree branch. Below him was a small plain surrounded by poppies and newborn daisies. In the middle of them was a beautiful pink flower which was swaying around them. The pink flower was moving.

He blinked again not sure what he was seeing. He kneeled on the branch silently observing the moving pink flower. It was dancing and humming a song.

He felt his heart skipping a beat as he recognized a face that had turned up.

Had she seen him?

He noticed her eyes were closed as she was dancing and swirling between the poppies and daisies. She was smiling. And the sweetness, it was Sakura's!

Kakashi felt being trapped in a whirlwind of emotions. He felt shocked and confused, but also happy and excited. He stood up and suddenly Sakura faded away, the flowers faded away, the trees and the blue sky faded away.

The darkness came back.

_________________

Kakashi woke up, sweat all over his mask. He instinctively put his hand on his face feeling the absence of his ninja badge. Luckily his mask still covered his half face. He would have definitely killed Tsunade if she had taken the mask off of him.

"Shh, calm down."

Kakashi turned around to see Tsunade next to him holding a piece of white cloth in her hands.

Kakashi lay down trying to relax. The fever played games with my poor mind, he thought.

Tsunade put the wet cloth on his forehead. He felt relief rushing through his head. The chilled sensation calmed him down, as he tried to remember every detail of his dream.

He felt the urge of telling Tsunade his dream, but he hesitated. It would be weird telling Tsunade that he had dreamt of a beautiful girl dancing in front of his eyes, who turned out to be her beloved student.

No, that is too weird, he thought. He grunted as another shiver took over him.

"Damn rain…!" he murmured.

Tsunade chuckled.

"Kakashi, you caught a serious cold and this virus is something your own body must face. If I force my chakra through you it could make you worse." she said looking at him.

Kakashi had forgotten that he was with the best medical Ninja in the Fire Country. What kind of virus is this, a one that caused illusions?

"I will run towards the Sand Village, it is not far away. I will reach it in a few hours. I must find out if Sakura _is _there and then, I promise, I will return."

Kakashi opened his one eye, keeping his Sharingan closed. It felt too tiring to even use one eye.

"I cannot follow." he admitted feeling useless.

Tsunade nodded in agreement.

"Do not worry, Shizune has definitely sent someone after me. They will arrive any time now. Wait for me till dawn. If I haven't returned, go back to Konoha." she said in a calm but too serious tone.

Kakashi tried to lift himself up. He wanted to look Tsunade into her eyes.

"What do you mean?" he demanded. His voice was shaking.

"I love her Kakashi. I must know if she's fine." she said.

Kakashi could easily see tears forming in her eyes. Her face darkened as she lowered her head. Her long blonde hair was reaching her chest and he noticed her shirt ripped at its lower part. He looked her back in her eyes not knowing what to say. He was still confused about his dream, although it was only a dream. But all he knew was that he knew exactly what Tsunade felt. He wanted so much to know about Sakura. If she was alright, if she was happy, if she still was that little happy girl he remembered.

Tsunade looked at him as she stood up and then looked up in the sky. The stars above her were shining happily, like they knew that Sakura was fine.

Kakashi lay back down feeling really weak.

"Ok." he said gazing at the stars.

Kakashi closed his eyes and fell back to sleep quite easily at the sound of footsteps rushing on the sand leaving him.

____________

**In Kakashi's dream, the song Sakura is humming I imagined it to be "Rain" by Breaking Benjamin.**


	5. 5Weak

**Here's the next chapter "Weak" - I'm sorry it's a short one - next one will be longer ;)**

**Thanx very much for favoriting the story - it made my day!**

**HAVE FUN!!!**

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi rubbed his eyes with his palm as a familiar voice shouted his name. The sky had a dark grey colour but to his left the horizon started to lighten up. Was it dawn already?

The stars started to vanish and the breeze was getting warmer.

He felt a chilly hand on his forehead.

"He has a fever." the familiar voice muttered.

Kakashi opened up his eyes seeing a blonde young man sitting next to him. His big blue eyes were looking worried.

"Naruto…" Kakashi muttered lifting himself up.

He felt another shiver and grunted as his ribs had become numb.

"Where's granny-Tsunade, Kakashi-sensei? She was with you right?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi nodded feeling too dizzy to speak. He noticed another ninja with the Konoha badge standing next to Naruto. He was observing the landscape probably trying to find any sign of Tsunade. He had spiky black hair and his ninja badge was hanging around his neck. The jonin vest he was wearing was covered with pins of different colours.

"Where is she?" Naruto continued helping Kakashi stand up. His legs had also become numb, as a result Kakashi had to lean on Naruto to find his balance. He took a few deep breaths, glad that Naruto had finally got almost as tall as him.

"What's wrong with you, sensei?"

Kakashi chuckled with the word sensei Naruto kept using even after so many years he was working with Naruto as equals. Naruto had finally succeeded in becoming a jonin, but for some reason he kept calling him sensei.

"I don't know. We must find Tsunade." he said.

"Akino went for her. There's still no sign of them." Pakkun said who was sitting where the fire Tsunade had created used to be.

"Can you walk, Kakashi-sama?" the other ninja asked. His name was Turo.

"I think so." he made a few steps and kneeled to grab his ninja badge and placed it on his closed Sharingan. As he stood up again he felt a rush in his brain. He took a deep breath and looked at Pakkun.

"Let's find her."

Pakkun frowned and his fur twitched.

"Kakashi, she said to wait here for her." he reminded him.

Kakashi felt the intense stare of Naruto behind his back.

"Kakashi-sensei, what has happened with granny-Tsunade? What is she after?"

Kakashi turned slowly to look at him.

He felt scared. Should he tell him? From all the people, Naruto was definitely the first one who worried about Sakura. He loved her and cared about her more than Tsunade or himself. Sasuke's death brought Naruto and Sakura closer, but when Sakura left, Naruto was suddenly a different person. Kakashi remembered as he was always expecting of Naruto's outburst to go and bring Sakura back. It seemed like the time Sasuke had abandoned them, before joining forces with Orochimaru. But he never did. He stayed in the village, never attempting to leave in search of his last best friend. It was like Naruto knew Sakura had to be left alone. Only Naruto knew how deep Sasuke's death had cut Sakura's heart.

He had to know.

Kakashi sighed.

"Naruto, we found someone in the Sand Village whom we haven't heard for in a long time." he started looking Naruto in his blue eyes. His face was tensed.

"Sakura is in the Sand Village." he said not believing himself for a moment.

He waited to see Naruto's reaction. His eyes were fixed on his, but he was staring at the nothingness.

Kakashi saw his cheeks, where three years ago markings used to be, lifting as he smiled. Naruto was smiling proudly. His eyes were shining as the sun had risen in the light blue sky. Pink clouds emerged out of nothing.

Naruto chuckled.

"Are you sure?"

Kakashi nodded, not sure what to say. He still didn't believe that Naruto seemed happy. What if Sakura was hurt, or worse…changed? What if she wanted to avenge for Sasuke's death. Kakashi froze at that thought. Could this be the reason Sakura came back? To take revenge?

Did she return to kill Naruto?

______________

"Here you are." Temari said handing a bottle of fresh orange juice to Sakura.

Sakura swallowed some and thanked her friend. Temari smiled at the sun that had just risen.

"How can you live without rain?" Sakura asked.

Temari chuckled.

"Well the fact that it doesn't rain more than twice a year in the Sand Village has made us used to the dry warmth of the desert climate. It's like me asking you how can you live without the dryness of the desert." she laughed with her saying.

Sakura stared at the endless desert expanding ahead of them. The woods of Konoha lay one day away from them. She shivered at the thought of reaching the gates of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

"You look pale, my dear. Are you alright?" sounded Temari's concerned voice.

Sakura nodded a couple of times.

"Yes, yes! I'm fine." she assured her.

Half an hour passed as Sakura was deep in thoughts. Naruto and Sasuke popped up in her mind. Random memories of their childhood, of their first year in ninja school. She remembered how she had a crush on the famous and genius Uchiha and how she had grown to become rivals with Ino Yamanaka. She smiled at the memory of the battle during the chuunin exams, ever since the time she had short hair. She liked it ever since and it was also very practical. She brushed her hair backwards feeling the breeze cooling her face.

"I didn't have the chance to see Kankuro. Is he in the village?" Sakura asked after a long pause of silence.

"No, he is actually in Konoha. Tomorrow start the chuunin exams and Kankuro will be this year's representative of our village. We had many participants this year, almost twice as many as last year." Temari said playing with her belt, where a short sword was hanging.

"How come?" Sakura wondered.

"Oh, some young ninjas often abandon their studies to travel around the country in order to improve their ninja skills. It is an effective method. I did it too. I was traveling two years before becoming a chuunin. I was already sixteen when I became chuunin, whereas you were only thirteen. But I don't regret it. I haven't gained that much experience before in such a short time. During this time I learned most of my own jutsus that no one else knows. This period of time made me who I am now. This is why the Sand Village doesn't have a specific number of participants every year. So now, many returned to finally become chuunin."

Sakura had never heard of this before. It did sound a good method to learn essential skills as a ninja in a young age, but it could also be quite dangerous. She remembered how she used to be the weakling in her team, how Naruto and Sasuke were always brave to face any ninja that stood in their way. They always saved her from fatal danger. If she had left back then, would everything be different? Would she have grown to be stronger at a younger age? Would she have been able to save Sasuke?

She stared at the endless sand beneath her feet. The past cannot be erased Sakura, she heard her inner voice telling her.

The minutes that passed felt like eternity.

Sakura finally lifted her head and noticed a black figure running towards their direction.

Sakura shot a glance at Temari. She had also noticed the stranger approaching them. They both frowned trying to make out anything under the intense light of the sun.

The figure grew nearer and nearer and Sakura felt her breathing stop when she recognized the long blonde hair, the long legs and the worried but still beautiful face of her master.

Genjutsu?


	6. 6Love

**Hey there**

**here is the next chapter "Love", as it perfectly represents the feelings of the characters here. In the beginning i thought of calling it reunion, but Love seemed so much...personal.**

**I know it sounds crazy, but Naruto **is** jonin in this story of mine. I just really liked him being a sensei of three little ones (more info about that in future chapters!)**

**So, thanx again for reading and HAVE FUN shinobis and kunoichis!!! :)**

Sakura felt a sudden rush of wind on her bare right arm and saw Temari with her huge fan drawn out. She wore a serious cautious look biting her lower lip.

Sakura looked back at the figure she was sure it was Tsunade and back again to Temari. Her mind was spinning around and no thought was clear and logic anymore. She was breathing fast.

"Is this an illusion?" she whispered to the sand ninja.

Temari didn't move her eyes off of the stranger.

"No." she said simply.

Sakura didn't believe her. She actually didn't want to believe her. How did Tsunade know that Sakura was on her way back home. And why did she look that messed up. After not seeing her for such a long time, Sakura thought that her master would at least look at her best and she wouldn't appear in the middle of the desert alone. That was so _not-_Tsunade. Maybe she was so angry with her she wanted to punish her with her own unique way.

Sakura shut her eyes trying to calm herself in order to give in the genjutsu. She had to let the chakra inside of her to lose its intensity and strength. But she was feeling too nervous to manage that. Under any other circumstances she would have been freed by this genjutsu in no time, but it was Tsunade that was running towards her.

Calm down Sakura calm down, her inner voice ordered her.

She felt her shoulders hard as stone as her whole body was stiff. She couldn't even open her eyelids. Why am I so scared, she cried within her.

Tsunade is furious with me and definitely more ninjas are on their way to witness my punishment, she thought.

Her fingernails were sinking in her flesh and her teeth were grinding together.

"Sakura!" she heard Temari's voice shouting.

Sakura opened up her eyes feeling like waking up from a bad dream.

She blinked hardly to distinguish anything under the intense light of the sun.

Sakura let an unsounded cry as she noticed Tsunade's face in front of her. These soft light brown eyes were filled with tears, staring at her. Her features looked tired, like she hadn't slept for days. Her long blonde hair was loose on her shoulders and her shirt was ripped at its bottom showing off her flat and fit stomach.

But her eyes, Sakura couldn't take her gaze away from them. They looked…relieved!

"Sakura!" sighed Tsunade and in a second she had her long arms around Sakura's shoulders. Sakura gasped unable to say anything. She was in a shock, still not sure if this was a genjutsu or not. But feeling her master's warmth eased her in a way that reminded her that this cannot be genjutsu. It felt too real. It was real.

Sakura felt Tsunade's tears wetting her shirt and chuckled.

Sakura quickly lifted her arms so that she could also hug Tsunade. They tightened each other closer like they wanted to fit in one hug all the hugs they had missed in the last three years. She felt happy, beautifully happy. The one person who was the main reason she left was here hugging her, encouraging her, showing her that there was still someone who cared about her. Someone who believed in her. Someone who loved her.

"Oh Sakura!" Tsunade whispered.

Sakura had missed so much her voice.

"Tsunade!" said Sakura under Tsunade's hair.

"I missed you, little one!" Tsunade said chuckling.

Sakura laughed.

"Oh, so did I!"

They broke the hug after some minutes enjoying having each other back again.

Sakura noticed with the corner of the eye that Temari had put her fan back behind her back and looked nervous staring at the sand.

"How are you Sakura? Is everything alright?" Tsunade asked placing her hands on Sakura's shoulders.

"Now I'm perfect! But _you_ look in a mess!"

Tsunade smiled and looked at herself. She raised her arms and looked like she had just noticed the awful condition of herself.

When she looked back at Sakura she smiled broadly.

"It's Kakashi's fault!"

Sakura frowned. Kakashi-sensei, she thought the name over and over again. She hadn't thought of him for such a long time. Her sensei, her captain, what on earth had he done to Tsunade, she wondered intensely. How many things must have changed in Konoha, she thought.

"Oh Sakura, let's go back. Let me know everything. Where you've been, what you've done, whom you've fought and met. Everything!" said Tsunade with an excited look.

Sakura glanced at Temari.

"I'm sorry about the fright, Temari. But if you knew how scared_ I_ was, you'd be laughing at me right now!" Tsunade said grabbing Sakura by her shoulder and hugging her with one hand.

"Oh, it's fine." Temari answered smiling back.

"Please let us offer you our hospitality. Come with us and I'll make it up to you." Tsunade said.

Temari brushed her sword around her waist.

"Well, honestly I wouldn't want to fight you, Hokage-sama! But I'd be honored to come to Konoha. My brother is also there." Temari said.

"Great, now let's head back before Kakashi cuts off my head!" joked Tsunade.

Sakura couldn't stop smiling being back under Tsunade's protection.

But she was stuck with Tsunade's words about Kakashi. She had never noticed something between them. She always remembered them in meetings where they both would be acting either too casually and indifferently or professionally. But in three years of absence everything could have changed. Maybe even Naruto was finally together with Hinata Hyuga! Sakura chuckled silently. Now that's something I must see with my own eyes, she thought.

Tsunade suddenly kissed Sakura on her hair.

"Everybody will be so happy to see you again. Especially Naruto!" Tsunade said in a low tone.

Sakura felt a chill in her spine.

"Naruto…!" she whispered.

Sakura felt Tsunade's intense stare. Her hand was gripping her shoulder.

"I hope you are not regretting for coming back, Sakura." said Tsunade in a low tone.

Sakura looked her in the eyes seeing a smile on her master's face, like she knew already the answer.

"It will depend…" Sakura couldn't finish her sentence. She was so afraid of Naruto's reaction, that she wondered where from she got the strength to continue towards Konoha. Towards Naruto. Feeling Tsunade's mother-like grip though, reminded her from where this strength came from; she was Tsunade's student, she had become almost as strong as Tsunade, she had become almost as strong as Naruto.

Naruto and Tsunade were the reasons she left. And now having to face them was the most difficult part of this test life brought her. She knew that somewhere Sasuke's spirit was traveling watching his best friends' every move. All she hoped for, was for Sasuke to be proud of her. And in order to achieve that she had to fight Naruto.

______________

Kakashi, Naruto, Turo and Pakkun were running in the hot desert towards the Sand Village. Pakkun had still no sign of Akino but they were more than determined to bring the Hokage back, whether she had found Sakura or not.

Naruto couldn't stop thinking of Sakura. Not ever since she left actually, but now that he knew she was back, his thoughts were focused only on her. He could hear his heart bumping in his ears as the dry wind was flowing on his face. His dark red cloak was waving showing off his jonin uniform.

You're back, he thought. He remembered every little detail of her. Her sweet scent, her incredible strength, her pitched voice when she got furious, her short pink hair, her delicate hands, her turquoise eyes. Everything about her he hadn't felt for three years, ever since Sasuke died. How much he wanted to put his arms around her and feel this piece of himself that was missing.

Naruto felt his heart missing a beat and it ached. He grunted silently not wanting to draw anyone's attention. His heart had been broken so many times, but Sasuke's death broke it to the smallest pieces there could be. For three years now he tried to put them back together. He even promised to himself to become even stronger, to become everything Sasuke had not the time to become. He could have done it with Sakura's help, but she had to go through her own hell.

If we had gone through this together…, he thought feeling a beautiful warmth growing in his eyes.

Sakura was the glue for his broken heart, but whatever he did, his heart would be still fractured. Too vulnerable, too weak.

Naruto exhaled hardly and blinked sometimes in order to get rid of his newborn tears. He tightened his fists afraid to face Sakura.

"Kakashi! There they are!" barked Pakkun moving his head to their front.

Naruto tried to distinguish anything, but the sun was too intense, so he had to almost shut his eyelids. Someone _was_ there. He could see shadows dancing under the mighty heat of the sun. The sand was glowing like it was competing with the sun, which caused Naruto a headache.

After some more minutes of running, which felt like eternity, Naruto noticed Pakkun and Kakashi, who were leading, halting. Turo and Naruto followed their example.

Naruto froze.

There she was, a few feet ahead of him.

She was staring at him. Her eyes looked sad, her face was petrified.

Naruto felt hot tears falling on his cheeks.

He couldn't move, it felt too hard. Like his brain wanted to make sure this was not a dream. That Sakura was indeed standing in front of him.

When Sakura moved he heard a loud inhale of his, which woke him up. Sakura was slowly moving towards him. Her beautiful hair was waving across her face.

Her image got blurry as his tears increased.

Suddenly she was standing close enough for him to notice every detail in her eyes, on her face. She was crying too. Her cheeks were red and her lips pressed together.

"Sakura…!" Naruto could only whisper.

Naruto heard a slight movement next to him and could tell it was Kakashi-sensei who was alert about something, but Naruto didn't mind.

Naruto tried to smile feeling his cheeks numb.

"Oh, Naruto!" Sakura cried and fell on him hugging him with all her might.

Naruto lost his breath and gasped for air, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter even if he died that moment, because _she_ was here with him in his arms.

He hugged her back smelling her unique scent and feeling her tears on the side of his face. He shivered as Sakura exhaled on his neck.

"You're back!" he whispered between sobs.

Sakura was crying as strongly as she was hugging him. On the one hand it made Naruto worry, but on the other it meant that she was happy to be back with him.

He smiled and tightened his arms around her even more.

Naruto heard voices mumbling beside him.

Sakura was hanging on him and Naruto lifted her swirling her around of him. When they both felt too dizzy Sakura broke the hug and hid her face in her palms.

Naruto stroke her wet cheek.

"Everything's alright, Sakura-chan! I'm here, I'm here now." he told her so that only she could hear him.

Sakura swallowed a sob and looked at him. Her eyes were red and she was breathing fast.

"I'll never leave again, Naruto! I promise you that!" she cried and hugged him once more.

Naruto chuckled. He was happy now.

_____________

The sweet scent made him lose his row of thinking and it made him mad. That had never happened to him before. Now, after so long, strange and intense feelings had woken up inside of him. Watching her so close to him showing all her love to the young blonde ninja drove him crazy.

Kakashi tried to not think about it, and most importantly not show any emotion about it, by talking to Tsunade about what had occurred while they were apart.

"We should get on the move, Hokage-sama. The village must be aware of your absence by now." said Turo who was standing next to him. Akino and Pakkun were sniffing each other and barking with each other silently.

Tsunade looked at him seriously.

"You're right, Turo-san. Temari-san will come along with us. We will have plenty of time in the village to catch up." Tsunade agreed nodding.

Kakashi put his hands inside his pockets trying to hide the shaking. He shot a glance at Naruto and Sakura who were whispering. He still hadn't the chance to greet her properly. Naruto had taken her away from everybody else.

He stopped himself thinking of such crazy things and put on his casual smile.

He walked to Naruto and Sakura keeping a distance.

"Welcome back, Sakura!" he said simply trying to sound as normal as possible.

Sakura was red all over her face and her eyelashes were wet sticking on her skin. Her eyes were shining beautifully making him loose his row of thinking once more.

She smiled at him hardly.

If only I could hug you too, he thought emotionless.

"So nice to see you, Kakashi-sensei!" she said with a trembling voice. It sounded deeper than what he remembered.

He smiled under his mask and walked past them so that they couldn't see him shutting his eyes to force himself to clear his head. The sweet fruity scent of hers was killing him.

Another shiver ran through his bones and he coughed.

"Let's go!" Tsunade shouted happily, grabbing Sakura.

Kakashi sighed silently leading the way to Konoha with what strength had been left inside of him.

"Are you ok, Kakashi?" he heard Pakkun's deep voice.

"You look awful!" Akino commented.

Kakashi didn't even look at the ninja hounds.

"The fever is getting worse." he lied.


	7. 7Home

**Aaa, the last exam is finally over and now it's time for some peaceful holidays :)**

**This is why I feel really generous to send the next 2 chapters lol**

***HAVE FUN and thanx soooooo much for reading***

The gates were extending thirty feet above the ground with _Konoha _written with red paint in Japanese which was shining under the morning sun.

The chilly breeze forced the leaves of the huge trees that surrounded the village to dance to its rhythm. The colorful flowers were glowing as droplets of the morning fog lay on their velvet petals. The scent of freshness was all over the place and the birds were telling their stories singing for Mother Nature.

Sakura loved this fresh feeling, the glory the new day had brought her. Especially this day was so important to her.

The whistle of the breeze caressed her ears and made her feel a chill down her spine.

She stood in front of the gates and followed with her gaze the markings on them.

Konoha, she thought. My home.

She closed her eyes and felt everything this place had made her feel. Her first ice cream, her first best friend, her first day at the academy, her first day of being a ninja, her first crush…

At that moment she felt a hand brushing hers and saw a wave of blonde hair next to her. Naruto had grown a lot, at least physically. She smiled with her thought and with the pure happiness drawn on his face. He was a head taller than her and she still couldn't get used to the absence of the markings he had on his cheeks. He looked more normal now.

Naruto turned to look at her and they smiled to each other.

How much she had missed him. Sakura had been too preoccupied with Sasuke's loss, that she had forgotten to actually think of her best friend's well-being. He had to get through this on his own. As had she, but she had chosen her path. She had abandoned him, and she had acted selfishly. Too stubborn to see through her own pain. Naruto had been so much closer with Sasuke. When he had finally returned, Naruto was the happiest person walking on earth, always smiling always radiating his own good energy to the others. To Sakura, as she remembered so clearly, he even seemed to be even more determined of becoming Hokage.

This is why she feared so much of facing him. Sakura knew that she had made a mistake by leaving Konoha with no explanation, but on the other hand she couldn't regret it either. These three years were…essential. They were productive and filled with moments Sakura _needed_ to experience on her own.

But seeing Naruto again, it meant bringing Sasuke back in her mind. This is what she thought.

Sakura was proven wrong. Up to now, Naruto only awakened the best memories of their dearest friend. When they talked, which felt so easy to her, they talked about the funny moments.

In addition, what made Sakura even more cheerful was of how he only reminded her, during their trip back to Konoha, about how much he had missed her as well. He told her about how much he had grown tired of Sai and having to work with him.

"Everything is so not-interesting with him!" he had told her.

Sakura was fond of Sai in a very strange way. He was one of those people who were lost, when Naruto appeared in his life. Naruto has changed so many people's lives, she thought, and felt a feeling of pride about her friend.

Would Sai be more sociable by now, she wondered.

"Come, come! Everybody will love to see you again. Shikamaru must be somewhere, I mean his girlfriend is here!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura chuckled listening to this hyper-energized voice that could wake up an entire village.

Sakura saw Temari next to her blushing and looking annoyed with Naruto. She was stroking her sword warningly. Tsunade was walking behind them discussing with Kakashi-sensei and Turo-sama. She tried to look casual observing Tsunade and Kakashi-sensei, if there was any sign of their attraction. But she noticed nothing. They all three looked too serious and professional.

Sakura looked ahead towards Naruto who ran towards a figure in black who was standing at the gates.

She immediately recognized Shizune-san with Tonton in her lap. She looked so pissed off Sakura felt threatened for a second. Without warning, Shizune threw Tonton away- the poor pig squeaked like a baby- and she threw herself on Sakura.

Her grip was stronger than Naruto and Sakura gasped for air.

"Oh damn, you worried us all! Where the heck have you been and why couldn't you send a message, a letter, something so that we know what's going on with you. You could have become the new Tsuchikage and we wouldn't have a clue! Oh Sakura, you-!"

"Shizune, get a grip!" shouted Tsunade who walked towards Shizune with her arrogant but beautiful style.

Shizune brushed her hair out of her eyes. Her hands were trembling.

"Well?" Shizune asked hopelessly Sakura.

Sakura frowned.

"Where have you been?" Shizune cried impatiently moving her hands.

Sakura chuckled and smiled at Shizune. She noticed everyone staring at her wondering.

"Ehm, everywhere!" Sakura could only say. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Naruto and Sasuke so much, that she hadn't thought at all of everyone's classic question.

Shizune's eyes seemed like popping out of her head and her mouth was hanging like dead. What did she expect, Sakura considered. Did she think I'd just begin talking of my adventures like that.

Shizune grunted furiously, sounding like a horse and moved forward in the strangest and funniest way. Her fists seemed to hit the air, when she moved them on her sides while walking.

"Now you've become like _her_!" Shizune shouted turning rapidly to face everyone. "You've become exactly like her!"

Tsunade burst out laughing, whereas Kakashi-sensei and Turo stood motionless.

Sakura couldn't help but feel a little bad, so she ran towards the angry Shizune.

"I missed you!" she told her and hugged her.

Shizune froze for a moment and then hugged her back stroking her on her back.

Sakura could feel Shizune calm down, although her face was still tensed when they parted.

"You must be quite tired my dear." Tsunade commented looking at Sakura.

"Well, Tsunade-sama, she looks much better than _you_ do!" Shizune shot and then looked at Tsunade regretting the moment she opened her mouth.

Tsunade shot her a killer glance, slapped her on the back of her head, and moved forward with Sakura under her arm.

"Shizune-san, you've become rather neurotic I think. I'll let you have some of my sake!" Tsunade muttered.

Shizune gasped and blushed as everyone stared at her. Naruto was chuckling, sounding like a duck.

As they entered the village Sakura heard voices she hadn't heard for so long.

The villagers were waking up, others were opening their shops, and others were going for a morning walk. She noticed a neighbor she used to have when she was little. An old lady with long white hair. She looked so active the way she walked. The lady was staring at her and stopped after she had walked past them a few feet. Sakura freed herself from Tsunade and walked towards the old lady. She was smiling.

"I-Is that you, Sakura-chan?" her trembling voice whispered.

Sakura smiled at her and leaned a bit to be on her eye level.

"Yes, Yoko-sama. It's me."

Yoko stroked her forearm and chuckled.

"Oh, you've grown Sakura-chan. You're such a fine woman now. So beautiful, like you're mother you are!"

Sakura saw a tear in Yoko-sama's eyes. She smiled and hugged her.

"Take care, Yoko-sama!" she told her.

Yoko-sama waved at her as she walked back to her friends.

"Take care, my dear!" Yoko-sama shouted back at her.

Sakura waved at Yoko and saw Kakashi-sensei standing next to her.

She looked at him and saw his one eye staring at her.

"It's good to have you back!" he told her with his calm deep voice.

"I'm happy to be back. To be honest I was scared to death for coming back." She laughed at the memory and noticed a smile under Kakashi's mask.

Sakura felt strange for a moment. She wanted to talk about so much, but probably Kakashi-sensei was not the one. She remembered how he would always train Sasuke and Naruto separately from the group. He knew who the ones with the potentials were, so he helped them. She never had this special treatment. But she didn't feel bad about it. She admired her sensei, he was, he _is _one of the strongest shinobi this village has created and she truly felt lucky for having the chance to be his student. But that was a long time ago. Now she was strong, just like Naruto. She had been through many difficulties neither of them could imagine. And she made it through it all by herself.

Now she was more confident than ever. But being with Kakashi-sensei always made her feel strange. Like he was indifferent about her, like she hadn't left for three years.

Sakura wanted to tell him something, anything. The silence between them made her nervous.

She took a deep breath and said the first thing that popped into her mind.

"How is Ga-!"

"How are-!"

Sakura blushed as they both tried to speak at the same time. Kakashi coughed silently and she saw his arms move nervously inside his pockets.

"You speak first." he told her calmly.

Sakura chuckled and stared at the ground.

"Well, I wondered how Gai-sensei is." she told him. She looked at him. His gaze was fixed on something far ahead of them. Maybe he wasn't even looking at anything.

"I guess he's fine." he said simply.

Sakura waited for something more, but it was a strange question. It was her sensei, she could have asked something more essential. Like how _he _was doing.

When he said nothing she approached him a bit more.

"What did you want to say?"

Kakashi was silent for a few moments, when he looked at her. She couldn't make out anything from the little piece of his face she could actually see.

"How are you?"

Sakura smiled lightly. She noticed another twitch of his lips under his mask. The one eye she could see was shining beautifully as a sunray was falling on his face. How come she had never actually seen Kakashi's eye colour. She always thought it was black, but it wasn't. It was dark grey and a lighter tint closer to his pupil. It was such an extraordinary colour. She lost her rhythm of breathing for a second realizing what she was thinking.

She turned her gaze away, avoiding more strange thoughts to create.

"Eh, fine. Now I'm fine. Relieved to be back." she took the risk to look him once more, but he was watching the emptiness in front of him. She sighed silently and put her hair behind her ear. What was that, she wondered.

When they reached the Hokage Tower they all halted.

"Temari-san, please come inside. Kankuro must be here. I'll arrange for you to stay together. If you want, of course!" Tsunade joked at Temari. The sand kunoichi smiled nodding indifferently.

They all were about to move inside the Tower when Sakura and the rest noticed Kakashi standing behind. He looked bored.

"Kakashi, won't you come?" Tsunade wondered.

"If you don't need me anymore, I'll go take a nap, Hokage-sama." he said simply.

"I could give you some medicine for your cold. I must have someth-."

"Don't worry, I'll be perfectly healthy by tomorrow!" he said waving his hand leaving them. Sakura saw him disappear behind the street corner.

"Oh, I want to take a bath!" Sakura heard Tsunade complain and chuckled, being more than happy for being back.


	8. 8Teammates

Kakashi shut the thick, wooden door behind him and leaned on it sighing deeply.

His headache became worse once more, while his throat was itching from the inside. His eyes were watery and coughed every now and then causing him aching in his lungs. And, as though this was not enough torture, he couldn't get Sakura out of his mind.

Suddenly, ever since he had this sweet dream of her, he imagined strange things. Things he hadn't imagined for a woman for a long time. Especially not for such a young woman as Sakura.

"She's my student, dammit!" he swore throwing himself on his bed at the far end of the room. The shutters were closed, and the darkness eased his headache.

He felt so heavy, sinking in the mattress. He turned his head upwards looking at the shelf above his bed. There stood a lamp, two copies of _Icha Icha _books and two picture frames. He stared at the picture showing him with his three beloved students. Sasuke on the left looking annoyed, Sakura in the middle wearing a glorious smile and Naruto on the right who was looking at Sasuke angrily. His eyes stopped at the little pink-haired girl. Anyone would only think how adorable she looked, but all he could think at that moment was how much she's changed. How much she's grown up, how mature she looked now.

He forced his eyes shut and pulled off his ninja badge. He felt his head lighter and rubbed the sides of his forehead.

Tears on her face, all he wanted was to dry them away. Her sweet smile, all he wanted was to kiss those lips. Her sweet scented hair, all he wanted was to hide there and smell her forever.

Kakashi lifted himself and grunted loudly.

"Shit!"

He stood up and threw his clothes off him like everything was their fault. He threw his boots to the wall, he smashed a glass after throwing his vest on it and swore all the way to the bathroom. Then he took off his turtle-neck shirt and underwear and let the hot water of the shower drown him in peace.

Kakashi rubbed the muscles on the base of his neck and felt such relief taking over him. His body ached all over and the shivers finally stopped.

How much he loved feeling the hot water burning his skin.

His silver hair followed the angles of his face and fell on the scar of his left eye. He followed the line of the scar gently with his fingers and felt ashamed. All the memories of that day appeared in his head. Obito and Rin.

The other picture above his bed showed himself with his former teammates, Obito and Rin and their former sensei, Minato.

Obito, he thought the name over and over again.

He tried to remember his face. How he would have looked like if he was still alive. He would be a better ninja than I, that's for sure, he thought.

And Rin, she would be just like Sakura. They were very much alike. Their determination, their respect, their compassion for their teammates, their sense of justice, their strength.

Sakura…

Kakashi let the hot water hit his face. As if it could wash away the torturing thoughts. Why couldn't he think of something good and not perverted. Why couldn't he find any good memories inside his head. Why were they all about disgrace, loss and death.

Why…

He opened up both of his eyes staring at the water draining below his feet and leaned on the wall to hold himself up. His Sharingan started to show him a swirling image of the water which was moving anti-clockwise. On his left side he could see the water moving slower but ahead in time, whereas his right and normal eye showed him nothing but a small flow of water disappearing. With his Sharingan he could see through the drainage how the particles of water evaporated beneath it and floated upwards.

He shut his normal eye and let himself loose as he watched the vapor surrounding him.

He thought of nothing for several minutes when he felt his back burn.

He shut his Sharingan returning to reality and, after cleaning himself up, he dried his face and hair with a black towel, not caring if he wetted the whole room, and vanished in a deep sleep on his bed as he was.

________________

Sakura was watching Temari and Kankuro talking with each other. They definitely didn't look like siblings, but looked really close. Kankuro hadn't changed much. He still had those purple markings painted on his face and a huge scroll hang on his back. Temari was looking really happy being with someone she knew. Tsunade decided to give them one room in the center of Konoha, not far away from the stadium where the chuunin exams took place.

Naruto was sitting beside Sai. Sakura was glad to see that Sai had changed. He talked more easily with people and, although he still said some weird things, it was so better being around him now. He was also wearing the jonin uniform, so that Sakura felt strange being the only one dressed else. She felt pretty comfortable with her long black leggings and boots, but she would like to see how she would look into this uniform one day.

Shizune was yelling at Tsunade about all the work that was left behind due to her absence. The Hokage was deep in thoughts about her new shirt Shizune had brought her.

"Oh, my boobs will disappear under this piece of blanket!" Tsunade complained lifting up a beige long-sleeved shirt.

"Well, it looks much more appropriate for a Hokage. You should consider changing your wardrobe. Looks matter when you are the Hokage."

"Exactly! This is why I will _not _put this trash on. You keep it! I'll go shopping tomorrow." Tsunade shouted back, her eyes shining.

Shizune sighed helplessly.

"Sakura!" Tsunade shouted happily after a while.

Sakura turned to look at her. Everyone looked at Sakura.

"Well, do you wish to stay at your parents' house or would you rather…"

Sakura opened her mouth ready to speak, but was stopped by Naruto.

"Ah, she can stay at my place!" he shouted.

Sai looked at him with a wondrous look.

"You wish!" Sakura heard Temari comment.

"I don't know, I don't want to be burden." Sakura could only say. She would so much avoid going back to her parents' house. After her mother died, her father had gone mad so he was living in a sanitarium to the east of Konoha by the sea. Going back into a house unchanged ever since they left wouldn't do her any good. At least not now, she thought. I will have to deal with this when I'm ready.

"Ok then, you'll stay at my place-!"

"Our place!" Shizune corrected Tsunade.

Even after so many years of being together, Shizune couldn't hold her tongue in front of Tsunade. Tsunade could lose her sanity in a second's time, if she was ever sane, Sakura thought.

"You'll be more than comfortable, until we find an independent place for you." Tsunade said after stepping on Shizune's foot. She squeaked, Sakura thought it was Tonton for a moment.

Sakura nodded smiling.

She noticed Naruto looking disappointed. He didn't even try to hide it.

Sai put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and he immediately shot him a killer glance.

"What have I told you about touching me, huh? You crazy pervert!"

Sai just looked at him with a boring face.

"Ok, whatever! I know when somebody likes it."

Sakura wondered for a second if the Nine-Tailed Fox was still in Naruto for she swore she saw a red glow in his eyes, as he jumped in the air and punched Sai on his face. Sai, of course as being a former ANBU member, dove with the speed of light. As a result Naruto punched the floor causing it to crack.

Naruto yelled with pain and swore a thousand words squeezing his hurt hand with his other one.

Sakura felt quite irritated with the scene. They still behaved like twelve year-olds, but she had to admit she had missed it. She couldn't help but smile.

After some minutes, Sakura left the Hokage Tower holding Tsunade's key of her house, with Naruto and Sai by her side.

"Did you fight any respectable ninjas?" Sai asked her sounding really interested.

"Yes, quite a few actually. I also met someone who used the same jutsus as you do. She would summon huge scrolls and in a second she would draw entire forests and rivers, including animals. She said she first imagined them and then drew. She was quite strong, but after some time she was out of chakra. I guess in every drawing she put a big amount of chakra into."

Sai lifted his thin eyebrows.

"That is interesting."

"Yes, it was quite a show." Sakura said remembering the tall and beautiful ninja with the huge pencil in her hand.

"And whom else did you fight? Does anybody else know of the Rasengan?" Naruto wondered.

Sakura had to frown with his loud tone.

"No, I haven't met anyone who could use Rasengan. But there are quite a lot of wind-natured ninjas in the Land of Snow. I thought there were few of those." Sakura answered him.

Naruto looked in front of him and smiled.

He mumbled something about _only one_, but didn't pay attention as they were passing in front of the Yamanaka's flower shop. She stopped before she was visible from the employers of the shop.

Naruto and Sai looked at her confused.

"Are you alright, Sakura-chan?" Naruto shouted.

Sakura had the deepest desire to punch Naruto.

She heard a scream coming from inside the shop. Sakura heard loud footsteps and noticed Naruto looking at her apologizing.

In a sudden a tall girl ran towards her. Her long blonde hair waved as it was held in a high ponytail. Ino hugged Sakura with all her force. Sakura hugged her back feeling a bit uncomfortable with Ino's sudden affection. She smelled nice, she thought. That was the good thing of working in a flower shop, she guessed.

Ino broke the hug and stared into Sakura's eyes. Ino's light blue eyes were surrounded by black eye-shadow and her lips were covered with a shiny gloss. She wore a beautiful purple dress and a white cloth was hanging around her waist, covered with dirt.

She looked really good. Her Konoha badge was wrapped around her right forearm.

"Oh, Sakura! Long time no see! Where have you been?" she said quickly.

Sakura smiled brushing the back of her head.

"Oh, well, kind of everywhere. Didn't stay in one place!" she said her voice sounding awkward.

"Oh, lucky you. Did you meet any cuties? We're really unlucky in this village. Not many good-looking boys are left, and those who are cute enough are attached. Oh dear! So tell me!" Ino demanded.

Sakura noticed Naruto and Sai looking really furious. Naruto was ready to summon his Shadow Clones and punch Ino's beautiful face.

"Eh, I didn't meet anyone." She said trying not to laugh with Naruto's and Sai's looks.

Ino laughed out loud.

"You selfish girl! You surely must have met _someone_! You're just hiding it from everyone. I know you Sakura!" she said laughing.

Sakura felt irritated but didn't show.

"Whatever, let's get going!" Naruto shouted grabbing Sakura from her shoulder and drove her away from the crazy blonde.

"We'll talk again, Sakura! You won't get away from me!" Ino shouted and disappeared in the flower shop wearing a wide satisfying smile on her face.

"Looks like she hasn't changed at all!" Sakura commented when they walked around the corner of the crowded market street.

"Sai can answer you this. They dated for a while. Only he could do such a perverted thing!" Naruto said frowning.

Sai looked bored.

"Well, it was good for as long as it lasted." he said.

Sakura felt surprised.

"Are you kidding me? You were together for -what- three days?" Naruto shouted folding his arms behind his head.

Sai shot a glance at him and then looked in front again.

"Well, considering you had none!"

Sakura didn't quite understand what had happened in those few seconds. She saw a blurry mass of Naruto and Sai combined and screaming and yelling in the middle of the market street. Everybody passing by gossiped and laughed at the two boys. Sakura wished for a second the ground could swallow her and lead her to a nice comfortable bed, but then she started laughing unable to breathe. She had missed them so much.

"You asshole! You perverted, cocky, stupid, fucking bastard, I'll kill you! Oh yeah, I'll kill you!" Naruto continued shouting when they parted. Sai looked furious and was wiping away the blood from his upper lip.

"You talk too much!" Sai said in a calm tone. When he stood up, Naruto was about to punch him once more, but this time Sakura grabbed his arm and held him back.

"Stop it, both of you! You behave like babies. Get a grip!" she warned them. She hadn't used this tone of voice since her last fight.

Naruto and Sai looked at her surprised. Sai nodded apologizing and walked ahead.

Naruto was shaking and staring at the ground.

After some minutes he looked at Sakura. His right eye was swelling.

"I'm sorry, Sakura!" he said in a low tone.

"It's not me you should apologize to. You should stop acting like that. I mean you are such respective ninjas, both of you. And you act like you hate each other. It only reminds me of Sas-!" she stopped her thought and sighed.

Naruto was staring at her looking grief.

She had said the name. She should have to think before speaking. She knew she was right, but she could tell Naruto that in a more calm way. A less painful way.

Sai was walking ahead of them, when he stopped at a crossroad. He was staring at Naruto, his lip bleeding.

Sakura looked first at Sai, then at Naruto and back and approached them.

"Let me heal you!" she said calmly and put her one hand on Sai's lip and the other on Naruto's eye. She calmed herself and felt a wave of chakra flowing in each hand.

When it reached her palms a pale green light shone on her teammates' skin. She felt the beautiful warmth the healing brought her. After only a minute she saw the result and stopped the flow. She lowered her hands and looked at the clean faces of Naruto and Sai.

"There you go!" she whispered to herself. Fortunately she felt no tiredness after using such a jutsu. Healing minor injuries had become second nature to her.

Naruto was smiling widely at her.

"Oh, thanks, Sakura-chan!" he said touching his eye to make sure it was back to normal.

"Thank you!" Sai said smiling lightly.

Sakura looked at the two boys and tried to make them understand their mistake.

Sai was the first to get her meaning.

"Naruto, I didn't mean what I said about you. You know you have many fans, but you do nothing about it. I'm sorry for my childish behavior. I know it's none of my business." said Sai not looking ashamed, but rather serious.

Naruto blushed.

"I'm sorry too. You're a good fella and a great shinobi. Ehm, forgive me." he said nervously.

Sai lifted his hand and held it in front of Naruto. Naruto looked at it and then shook it.

Sakura felt proud and smiled widely.

"You should feel lucky to have each other. We should all be lucky to have friends who would stand for us no matter what. It's the most important thing." Sakura said having Sasuke in her mind.

How much she wished to have Sasuke here.

She felt a tear forming in her eyes.

"Well, I'll see you guys later!" she said walking away.

"Hey, let me walk you!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura stopped and looked at him.

"Don't worry Naruto. We'll meet later, I promise!" she kept her gaze on his for a bit longer. She wanted him to know that she wouldn't go away. She wouldn't leave him alone anymore. That she wouldn't abandon her home, never again.


	9. 9Beers

**Good afternoon to all (at least here it's afternoon...)**

**thank you so much for reading and reviewing :)**

**here is a relaxing chapter before the story gets a bit intenser - my best friend was my inspiration for this one (hahaha!)**

**HAVE FUN!!**

The sun was about to set when Sakura got out of the shower. She dried her hair with an orange towel and watched the golden sky darken as the night was about to arrive.

Sakura stared at the light and felt beautiful, like the golden rays were giving her all of their glow and magnificent beauty. The entire universe seemed to have been aligned in a way for destiny to finally be nice with Sakura. Everything settled perfectly.

She couldn't wait to see all of her friends again. After having gone over the hardest part, which was to face Naruto, she didn't fear about anything no more.

The clouds had a dark pink tint and they floated in the sky like sails, and the trees beneath them waved their branches to bid their farewells to the sun. The birds were singing their goodnight song as the Village Hidden in the Leaves grew louder and louder.

The chuunin exams were about to begin the following morning, as a result all the guests and participants had decided to enjoy their final free evening. Sakura could hear screaming and laughing of young ninjas.

She remembered the day before her chuunin exams. She hadn't slept at all that night. But she had stayed home, as she was too nervous to even enjoy herself like the rest of the kids did.

Sakura filled a glass with water and drank it feeling the fresh sensation of the pure liquid running through her system.

She walked to the extra room of Tsunade's and Shizune's apartment, where she would be staying. It was the smallest room in the house. But she liked the huge window that lay above a simple mattress on the floor. The red curtains gave a dark, but unique light in the room. There was one shelf next to the door with different stuff of Tsunade, like old clothes and a pair of black heels covered with dust.

Sakura had to clean the place a bit before she could actually use it. Probably Shizune never entered, she thought. Sakura dropped the towel on the bed and grabbed some fresh underwear and put on a dress she had. The only dress she had. It was a simple one in the colour of the calm sea. She liked this tint of blue on her skin. Her complex was rather light and she could hardly wear dark colours without looking too white. But that dress was her favorite.

She felt a huge burden abandon her as she imagined Sasuke looking at her dressed like that. He would probably smile, he has never seen me like that, simple, she thought and smiled.

Sakura wandered in Tsunade's and Shizune's home as she was brushing her hair and then her teeth, staring at every little detail. She had never been in their house before. It lay at the far west of the village with a fantastic view to the mountains that lay inland. The main room, a kitchen and living room was obviously arranged by Shizune. Her favorite colour, purple, was everywhere. In the curtains, in the glasses and dishes, in the pillows on the couches, in the vases.

Sakura loved the comfortable atmosphere the living room gave out. There were pillows all over the floor – all a different tint of purple – and the couches were quite low height. The massive windows made you imagine you were flying above the woods of Konoha that extended up to the mountains.

Sakura grabbed a small bag and was about to leave when she noticed a picture of Tsunade and Shizune standing in front of the entrance of this house with Tonton in Tsunade's lap. They were all smiling and looking satisfied. Sakura remembered how long Tsunade was looking for an apartment when she was assigned as the new Hokage. Tsunade had told her how Jiraya insisted on having them both under his roof. That would be weird, she thought and chuckled.

Sakura turned off the lights and shut the door behind her.

________

Naruto, Sai and Sakura met at the crossroad where they parted a few hours ago.

Naruto was smiling broadly when he noticed Sakura arriving.

"Hey, you look, ehm, nice!" he said scratching the back of his head.

Sai was smiling also.

"Well, let's go. The others will be waiting." he said simply.

"Well, we're Kakashi-sensei's students!" Naruto laughed with his joke.

"I think we stopped being anyone's students for quite a long time now." Sakura commented. She didn't want to sound so arrogant, but she was in a phase now, where she actually thought herself almost equal to the most jonins.

"Maybe _you_ did, but I'm still training with Ero-sennin every now and then." Naruto said folding his arms behind his head.

He was wearing a t-shirt in orange and a pair of jeans, and Sai was dressed more formally, with a black jacket over his white shirt.

"Is he in the village?" Sakura asked.

The night was beautiful, not too warm, not too cold. The perfect temperature for a night out.

"Pervy-sage? I don't know." Naruto said indifferently.

They reached the main market street which was buzzing. Groups of young ninjas, jonins, even parents were gathered all over the place. Sakura, Naruto and Sai would meet with Shikamaru, Choji and, to Sakura's disappointment, Ino at Jo's bar. It was a popular one to the jonins, and ever since they were all grownups by now, they thought it would be cool to meet there.

It was on the main street hidden behind red curtains. Sakura had never been there before. No wonder why. It looked too adult-like from the outside. The music that echoed was slow rhythmic and only grownups came in and out. Sakura thought it quite strange for a bunch of eighteen year olds to meet here, but she liked it. Somehow, looking at Naruto, she thought they were all still fifteen.

The moment they entered, Sakura heard a pitch loud scream and fell on the ground as an unknown figure had fallen on her. She hurt all over her back and felt dizzy.

"Oh dear, who …!" she had to blink several times to distinguish the dark features of the young man on top of her.

"Lee!" Sakura gasped.

Lee wore the broadest smile she had ever seen on a person. He stood up in a marvelous jump and offered his hand to help her stand up.

Sakura grabbed it with all her force and Lee was shocked as Sakura was back on her feet.

"Wow, what have you been taking these years? Spinach?" Lee joked.

Sakura laughed with Lee and hugged him. She could feel his heartbeat racing and, when she broke, his cheeks were on fire.

"Oh, Lee, calm down! It's nice to see you! You look great!" she said meaning it.

Lee _did_ look different. His hair was much shorter and the t-shirt he was wearing showed off his muscles of his arms and shoulders. His face was no longer a teen's face, but looked rather man-like. She liked him.

Lee blushed with her compliment.

"Oh, ehm, thanks!" he said putting his hands in his pockets.

Sakura walked with him to the table where all of her friends were sitting. She smiled broadly noticing everybody. They were all there. All her friends, all the ninjas with whom she has fought so many fights. All the ninjas who stood by her, who fought by her side, when Sasuke died.

If only _you_ were here, she wished.

Sakura sat next to Lee, who sat next to Naruto. Naruto looked obviously annoyed with Lee and tried to push him away in order to win the place next to Sakura.

Across her was Neji, who looked unchanged. She only was surprised by how good the non-ninja clothes looked on him. His gaze was the same as always, too mysterious to avoid, but too dangerous to drown in them by looking too long in them.

Next to him was Choji, who was the tallest of them all. His long hair was tied in a ponytail and he was eating with pleasure a piece of stake.

By his side was Shikamaru, Choji's best friend and, without doubt, the best ninja on this table. He looked rather pleased and was playing with his pitch black hair, that was standing in the air.

Ino and Ten Ten were staring at Sakura. It was the first time Sakura saw Ten Ten with her hair loose and she looked really good. She also wore a dress a tint of green with flowery pattern. Ino looked gorgeous as always, this time blue eye-shadow surrounding her eyelids matching her eyes colour.

Sai was sitting beside Ino staring at Choji looking bored.

"Welcome back Sakura!" Shikamaru greeted her. Choji and Neji actually stood up and shook hands with her.

Ten Ten also stood up and had to force everyone to make room for her to go and kiss Sakura on the cheeks.

"Where have you been? Tell us everything!" Ten Ten demanded sitting back next to Ino.

All eyes turned towards Sakura. She felt strange. Where should she begin with?

"Well, I traveled across the Fire Country, to the Land of Snow, to the Cape of Thunders, well all around the vicinity." she told them not sure what to tell exactly without saying details that needn't be told.

"Vicinity?" Lee laughed. "You were on the other side of the world!" he continued sipping his beer.

"Of the continent, but not of the world." Ten Ten corrected him.

Lee glanced at her irritated.

"So, are there stronger ninjas than me?" said Shikamaru lifting one eyebrow.

Choji, Naruto and Lee laughed ironically at Shikamaru.

"You're kidding me? Nobody's stronger than me!" Naruto cocked leaning on his back stroking his spiky hair.

"No, Shikamaru, you're the smartest and strongest ninja in the entire ninja world!" Sakura said and couldn't help but start laughing.

Naruto followed her example, as did Lee.

Neji looked at them indifferently.

"Oh man, and they've only had two beers!" he commented frowning.

"Tell us, who did you meet?" Ten Ten continued emptying her own beer.

Sakura, Sai and Naruto ordered beers as well.

"Well, I guess most of them you don't know. I met many who used to work for Orochimaru-san, others were acquainted with Tsunade. There was this guy, who somehow knew I knew the Hokage and forced me in playing cards with him in order to avenge his loss to Tsunade. It must have happened a hundred years ago. Anyway, we were playing like for four hours straight, when an earthquake occurred. I know nothing of cards so I took the chance to cheat. I did and, well, I won the bet!"

Shikamaru, Lee, Naruto and Ten Ten looked amazed.

Sakura noticed Sai ordering his second beer already.

"Wow, don't become like granny-Tsunade, I beg you!" cried Naruto looking serious.

Sakura laughed and sipped her beer.

"Did you fight any cool ninjas?" Choji spoke eating a new stake.

Sakura looked at him and tried to remember any fight that would sound _cool_.

She smiled at the memory of one.

"What?" asked Ten Ten impatiently.

"It was a group of former sand ninjas, they were expelled from the Sand Village and they had become robbers and rapists. I was traveling with another ninja from the Land of Snow when we met. They were an awful bunch of people. They used strange jutsus I'd never seen before. The one was a genjustu specialist, he was water-natured and could make you feel like drowning while seeing all your life passing in front of your eyes. I really felt like; this is it, I'm about to die. But then he would free me and start again. Every time it felt so real, like I hadn't experienced it already. I got through this three times before I freed myself. It was terrible. Luckily Chei defeated him."

Everybody was staring at her. Some of them feeling the terror, some amazed by the power of that genjutsu.

Sakura noticed three empty glasses in front of Sai.

"What kind of powers does this Chei gal have?" wondered Shikamaru really interested to find out.

"She's wind-natured. She can summon wind ghosts. They feel like you're stuck in a snow avalanche!"

Shikamaru's eyes were about to fall out of his head.

"Wow!" he said simply and leaned back emptying his third beer.

Naruto was staring at the nothingness.

Lee ordered his third beer.

The waitress, a tall and attractive young woman looked too cheerful every time she came to their table. The tenth time she approached them, Sakura noticed that she had eyes only for Naruto.

Sakura looked at Naruto who was whispering something at Sai.

Well well Naruto, Sakura thought and in a swallow emptied her first beer.

The night flowed like this for half an hour. Sakura told funny stories of Chei and herself and the rest told her hilarious scenes that had occurred during her absence. Most of them were about Naruto of course.

The bar was crowded up to that point, people were even sitting outside with drinks in their hands laughing, discussing, and having fun.

The DJ was in a good mood as he had put on louder tracks. Two jonins, still dressed in their usual uniforms, were singing loudly and dancing wherever there was space.

Sakura noticed three tall and familiar figures entering the red curtains. She immediately recognized Kiba, Hinata and Shino. Sakura looked at them and smiled.

"Hey guys! Here we are!" shouted Naruto who stood up on his seat to wave at the three newcomers.

Kiba was smiling broadly when he noticed Sakura.

"Hey there! There is someone we haven't seen for a while!" the young man said shaking hands with Sakura.

"Hey Kiba!" she said, ready to explode of happiness.

Now everybody was here.

Hinata was standing behind Shino, blushing.

Shino was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a scarf that was covering his half face. He also wore his usual black round glasses, like it wasn't dark enough in the bar. But Sakura could tell he was smiling. She was used to guessing someone's features, thanks to the time she's spend with her sensei.

Sakura remembered the day, many years ago, when Naruto, Sasuke and she had been plotting to find out what's beneath Kakashi-sensei's mask. She chuckled with the thought as she greeted Shino.

"H-Hi Sakura-chan!" said Hinata fidgeting.

Sakura smiled at Hinata and stood next to her to kiss her on the cheeks.

Hinata was moving nervously, but looked extremely happy to see her.

"How are you, Hinata?"

"Oh, good! H-How about you?" Hinata asked politely.

Her pearl grey eyes seemed like a dead's gaze in the twilight darkness of the bar. But she looked great with the dark blouse and the jeans. Her hair was tied in a ponytail showing off the beautiful angles of her face. Anyone who didn't know her would guess the red light coming from the curtains gave this blushing colour on her cheeks.

"I'm great, thanks! It's so nice to be with you all again. I missed it!" Sakura admitted.

"Well, don't stand, take a seat!" Naruto shouted in the buzzing and the loud music of the bar. He jumped above the table landing clumsily next to Sakura and Hinata.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" he greeted passing next to Hinata and run towards the other end of the bar. Sakura noticed the red tint on Hinata's cheeks increasing tremendously.

He was as he always was, so Sakura guessed they were not together…yet.

Naruto came back holding one chair in each hand.

"Oh man, what a gentleman am I!" Naruto commented looking so satisfied with himself.

"How troublesome!" Shikamaru commented, but Naruto didn't hear a thing.

Lee stood up to let Sakura sit next to her. Kiba sat next to her leaving Naruto standing with his mouth wide open.

"Hey, that was my seat! I didn't bring the fucking chairs for me!" Naruto complained shouting with all his might to Kiba.

"Oh shut up!" he said simply searching with his gaze the waitress.

Naruto grunted and sat on the chair next to Hinata.

Sakura couldn't help but smile with Hinata's look.

"Where were you?" Shikamaru wondered looking at Shino and Kiba.

"Well we bumped on these sand ninjas, the blonde chick and her brother, the one who uses puppets, you know! Well the blonde chick started gossipin' with Hinata and, well, we got held up!" said Kiba looking jokingly annoyed at Hinata.

Hinata blushed even more when many eyes turned to look at her.

"W-we weren't gossiping, Kiba-kun!" she tried to explain. Her voice hardly echoed with the music.

"Anyways she was telling you surely somethin' reeeaaally shockin'!" Kiba went on grabbing the beer the waitress brought him.

Hinata hid her face in her own beer, hoping to disappear.

"So, Shika, are you together with the sand ninja chick?" Naruto laughed folding his arms behind his head.

Shikamaru's glance, if it was a riffle, it would have shot Naruto a million times in a second.

"Don't call me like that again." His voice sounded calm but threatening.

Choji even turned to look at his friend.

"Haha, Shika has a girlfriend! I mean, man, it's about time. I mean you had a crush on her for –what- a hundred years. You look soooo good toge-!"

Shikamaru was on his feet punching Naruto on his face lying on the floor.

Hinata was standing and tried to push Shikamaru away from Naruto.

Naruto, for a strange reason, was laughing endlessly.

"Kiba! Well could you at least _try_ to stop them?" Sakura told him harshly. He was drinking his beer staring at something ahead of him.

Sakura grunted and stood up, jumping above Kiba.

"You're both idiots!" she shouted grabbing Shikamaru from his shirt and lifting him up with a small effort.

"Stop it, _you _at least are supposed to be more mature than him!" she told him silently shooting him a glance.

Shikamaru lifted his shoulders boringly and went outside calmly with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, Sakura-chan! You saved me!" Naruto said happily rubbing his jaw.

"You haven't changed a bit!" she said harshly and sat next to Kiba.

"Well, you must have been working out quite a lot!" Kiba commented.

Sakura didn't listen to him, as at that moment Iruka-sensei appeared in the bar, pushing away the red curtains from his face. The former teacher of hers was dressed in a blue t-shirt and jeans. His hair was tied in his usual ponytail and his scar, which ran across his one cheek above his nose to the other cheek, was less visible under the dim light of the bar.

He was staring at their table and Sakura decided to wave at him.

Iruka-sensei was smiling when he reached their table.

"Ah, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto shouted and jumped as the waitress came holding another bunch of beers.

Sakura saw the waitress blinking one eye to Naruto and how the blonde boy blushed and looked away from her.

"Iruka-sensei!" Sakura greeted him and Iruka shook her hand.

"Dear, Sakura! How are you? I heard you were back!" he said happily.

"Yes, I arrived this morning."

"Yeah, Kakashi told me. It was quite a shock you put us through, you know!" he said looking more serious.

"But don't worry, we knew you would do it. You're a strong ninja! At least the Hokage was sure! I was quite worried all the way, as was Kakashi! But now you're back, and you look great!" he said scratching the back of his head.

Sakura felt somehow satisfied with the fact that Kakashi-sensei was worried about her all this time. Maybe not _all _the time, but he was. Although he hadn't shown her a clue during their trip back to Konoha from the Sand Village.

"Thank you!" she said in a low tone.

Iruka-sensei looked at her looking proud.

"Well, we'll talk again. I'll go look for Turo and the rest." He said and waved as he left them.

It was probably the best night Sakura had in a long time. She enjoyed herself, feeling finally like an eighteen year old should feel. Free, independent, no worries swirling in her mind, no concerns about the future, no sad and painful flashbacks of the past. There was only the now. Only the second she was living. And being with the best friends in the world, she felt complete.


	10. 10Tears

**Aloha :)**

**Here is the next chapter "Tears", but before I let you read it I'd like to pardon myself for not making clear from the beginning some little details of this story (it's just I hate giving away things that may appear in future chapters hahaha)…well, originally I thought this story to be a pure Kakashi+Sakura pairing, but somehow, after typing for hours, it ended up being more focused on Sakura, the new evil that arises and threatens Konoha and the three years she was actually gone- so everything she's been through after Sasuke's death, her relationship with Naruto- as a result her pairing with Kakashi will take time to actually **_**happen**_**! But hints of it will be all over the story!**

**From now on the story will become more adventurous and (dear, I hate giving such things away argh!)…well you'll see hahaha.**

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to one of the most beautiful and lovable people I've met in my life and lost a year ago…it is dedicated to **_**friendship **_**:)**

A beautiful morning of May rose.

Sakura woke up listening to the morning song of the birds next to her window. The first rays of the sun tried to enter through the red curtains.

Sakura stretched her arms above her head and felt so light and relaxed. She turned around in her bed when she heard clinging from the kitchen.

Tsunade must be up she thought. She dropped the blanket and stood up.

As she opened the door of her room she had to put her hand above her eyes, due to the bright light. Tsunade had turned the lights on, as the sunlight was still too dim.

"Good morning!" Sakura said happily. Her voice always sounded heavier at such a time.

"Oh, why are _you_ up at this time? If I remember correct, _I _am the Hokage!" joked Tsunade who was sipping loudly her coffee.

It smelled nice and the bitter scent woke Sakura completely up. Tsunade made the worst coffee in the whole world. Sakura hated coffee. She preferred tea.

Sakura sat on the tall table in the kitchen.

Tsunade was already dressed, wearing a sleeveless beige shirt and long linen trousers in dark brown. Above it she wore her favourite green anorak. Her hair was still wet from the shower tied in a high ponytail. Her face looked fresh, like she had slept an entire day long.

One of her secret jutsus, Sakura guessed.

"How was it last night?" Tsunade asked examining Sakura for any sign of hangover.

"Great! I had a lot of fun! I hadn't had any of it for a while."

Tsunade looked at her serious. Her eyes were those of a grown-up and very experienced woman, although she only looked like a 20 year old.

"Sakura, I'm determined to know what you've been doing these three years. I'm worried about you. If anything is bothering you, I want to know, because I can help. And I trust you."

"As I trust you, Tsunade-sama. When I feel ready, you will be the first to know." Sakura assured her. She loved Tsunade, she was the mother she had lost, she was her teacher and her bigger sister. She was all that she wanted to be. She did trust her. But now was not the time to tell anything. She didn't feel quite ready about it. There was one thing left to do before she took that step.

"Good. I know that you wouldn't leave if there was no reason. You have a unique way of thinking. You think ahead and plan even more ahead. This is one of your most extraordinary talents, Sakura. And I won't say that I envy you, but I'm sure every ninja who had to face you would be jealous of this nature of yours. This is how you've become such an effective ninja. And this is why I want you back Sakura. I want you to return. Become a jonin."

Sakura felt surprised. She never really expected such a request from her master. Being a jonin was every ninja's dream, but Sakura never really gave much thought of getting promoted. She was too focused on becoming stronger for Naruto's and Sasuke's approval, rather than actually prove it to the whole ninja community of Konoha. She only wanted to be able to save her beloved ones in need.

Being a jonin meant much more. It meant being an active member of the village, making sure of the villagers' safety, attending missions, working as a spy or a messenger, being a sensei to the next generation. Sakura was actually shocked imagining three little genins calling her sensei.

Somehow, those three years of solitude made her think selfishly.

"Sakura? What do you say? You would make a terrific jonin, I'm sure!" Tsunade said in a low tone taking a seat next to Sakura.

Sakura was staring at the table in front of her, staring at nothingness.

"Sakura?" Tsunade sounded worried.

Sakura lifted her gaze quickly up to Tsunade's.

She looked serious like she was trying to read Sakura's mind.

Sakura felt her breathe heavy.

"I'll think about it." She could only say.

Tsunade's face seemed to lighten up as she stood up.

"Well, our jonin exams take place in two months. Inform me in two days."

Sakura looked at her as she took her bag, put on her high heels in front of the entrance door and greeted her leaving for the Hokage Tower.

______________

"Sakura-sensei…!" Sakura whispered to herself as she walked a small alley in the centre of Konoha.

The villagers had already woken up. The bakeries' scent flooded the entire village and Sakura couldn't help but buy a sweet flavored croissant with raisins. She ate it as she walked.

There was a slight breeze coming from the north. She felt it brush her hair in front of her face and tried to put them behind her ears.

Beautiful, she thought. It's the perfect day to pay him a visit.

She walked casually observing every little detail on her way. She wanted to get to know with the changes that had occurred in the last three years, after the destruction. She wanted to feel like home again.

She knew these streets like the back of her hand. She tried to memorize the new pastry shop with colorful cakes and sweets on the window, the new ninja clothing shop next to it, which was crowded with young genins . Sakura could tell by their newly polished Konoha badges and the wide smiles on their faces.

Sakura smiled at the memory of her insecurity about her forehead. She remembered how many hours she had spent in front of the mirror trying to discover a way to make it _not _look that big.

Now she had strands covering it and she no longer paid much attention to it. Her Konoha badge was tied around her head with a red ribbon. A gift from Ino a long time ago.

The leaves from the trees whooshed as the breeze suddenly got stronger. Smelling different kind of flowers, Sakura realized she had arrived.

She stood in front of the big open gate with _Konoha cemetery _written with black paint in Japanese.

Sakura felt the air thinner for a second. She was staring at the massive green hill which extended towards the mountain where the five faces of the Hokages of Konoha looked over the village.

Sakura glanced at the faces of the two Hokages she had actually known, the Third, Sarutobi, and the Fifth, Tsunade.

This village has gone through so much, she thought feeling a wave of sudden sadness filling her.

Watching hundreds of white marble stones standing all over the hill made her heart stop. She could see from that distance the marvelous graves of the Hokages to the north of the hill. The graves of the ninjas of the village lay next to them.

Sakura could feel tears forming in her eyes. But she didn't want to wipe them away. It was her gift for all those souls, all those brave ninjas who gave up their lives so that she and all the villagers of Konoha could continue living. She hoped the tiny amount of water her tears gave, would be enough for this ground to stay so beautifully green for another day.

She walked and walked passing stones, some wore names she never heard of, others were known.

For everyone she shed a tear. Water, the gift of nature, this is my gift for you, she thought. Maybe the spirits could hear her.

Getting closer to the graves of the four Hokages, Sakura noticed a known name. A row behind the Hokages' graves laid Asuma-sensei's.

Sakura stood in front of it, observing the small photograph of the strong and handsome sensei of Shikamaru's, Ino's and Choji's team. There were a couple of glasses with roses and daisies in them. They looked and smelled fresh.

Sakura felt another tear falling for this great ninja.

The atmosphere felt heavy and she felt her entire face wet from her silent tears.

She wanted to turn around, but she couldn't. She wanted to see him, but she wasn't brave enough.

"Come on, Sakura!" she ordered herself.

Her feet had frozen and a chill ran up and down her spine.

Sakura grunted, feeling furious with her lack of courage and forced herself to turn around and watch the name carved on the grave standing behind her.

Uchiha Sasuke…

"Sasuke…!" she mumbled, a strange numbness controlling her lips.

He was here, lying beneath this stone. His body was here.

Sakura fell on her knees her eyes drawn by Sasuke's photograph.

She broke into pieces, her heart ached. She cried like she had never cried before.

She didn't care at all if anybody heard her, she didn't care if all the villagers were here watching her. She knew she was vulnerable, but that was her last worry. Because all she wanted was to let it out. She wanted to force herself wake up from this horrible dream and see Sasuke standing in front of her, together with Naruto and Kakashi-sensei, like they were waiting for her to leave for their next mission. Like the Akatsuki had never attacked the village, like Madara Uchiha had never killed Sasuke, like none of so many great ninjas had died that horrific night.

Like Sasuke was still alive, breathing, smiling, being proud of his teammates, of Sakura.

"Why…?" she whispered behind a sob to the sky, to the birds, to the carved marble.

Her head felt too heavy and touched the marble. Her eyes met Sasuke's and she cried louder. She held herself the last minute before punching the grave into pieces.

"Sasuke!"

She looked at the picture, which seemed blurry.

"Sasuke!"

She inhaled deeply.

"Sasuke!"

She stroked the picture, imagining how his hair felt, what his voice sounded like, how his eyes would be shining.

She buried her face in her palms, lying on the stone. She saw every little detail of Sasuke's face behind her shut eyelids. His eyes when he was dying.

She remembered the darkest night she's ever lived.

_Three years ago. Everything was loud, screams and swearing everywhere. Sasuke was on the ground covered in blood. A massive wound extending on his chest. She was holding him in her arms, while Naruto lay unconscious a few feet away. Sasuke was staring at her, a faint smile on his face._

"_Sasuke!" Sakura cried, her voice shaking._

_Sasuke moved in her lap, his head leaning weak on her legs. _

_His blood was all over her, but she didn't care. He was there about to die and she had no strength at all. She had no power left in her. After fighting with Kizame she had wasted most of her chakra._

_She felt drowning in a darkness with no way out. Like she was walking trying to find the light._

_But the light had faded._

"_S-Sakura!" Sasuke whispered. He wanted to speak more but his voice broke._

_Sakura could feel him shaking as he was bleeding endlessly._

_Sakura tried to swallow a loud sob as she put carefully Sasuke on the ground and focused on the terrible wound that destroyed his beautiful body._

_She couldn't see anything behind the thick tears._

"_I'll heal you, Sasuke. Don't worry! I-I'll –yes!- I'll heal you!" she cried._

_She put her hands on Sasuke's wound and forced all the chakra that was left inside her towards him._

_But suddenly Sasuke's hand grabbed hers breaking her meditation._

_His grip was cold._

_Sakura froze and looked into Sasuke's eyes._

_He nodded his head weakly telling her to not continue._

_Sakura leaned on him holding his head in her hands._

"_But Sasuke! If I do nothing, you'll…!N-No I can't leave you like this. Don't you tell me what to do!" she was shouting, her voice so altered she couldn't recognize it was hers._

_She felt a huge mountain crushing on her._

_She was useless. There was nothing she could do. And on top of that he wouldn't let her._

_Like he knew he was…_

"_S-Sakura, you'll die if you try anything. And there is nothing you can do now. You-You will only die as well. D-Don-!"_

"_If you die, I'll die too, Sasuke! N-No, now that you're finally back! No, I won't leave you. I c-can't live without you, Sasuke! Please don't tell me to stop-p-!"_

_Sasuke stroke her cheek drying her tears away._

"_Sakura, you must live on. You can't follow me." He whispered, his strength fading away._

_Sakura noticed tears in his own eyes, but he also looked so calm as well. Like he was fighting no more to stay alive._

_Like he was finally giving in. Sakura couldn't stand it. He was so strong, why would he stop fighting. Didn't he want to live anymore. Had _she _done something wrong._

"_Sakura, let me go. And go save N-Naruto. He needs you more than I do. Go!"_

_Sakura sobbed deeply, she had stopped breathing for a minute now. She was cursing inside of her for all the tears that were blocking Sasuke's last image._

_She hugged him and cried. She felt his warm blood on her chest, his warm exhaling on her shoulder._

_He held her hand and chuckled._

_Sakura wasn't sure what she had heard._

'_Go Sakura and p-promise me this: take care of Naruto. H-He is my real…!" he stopped like he couldn't breathe anymore. _

_Sakura froze._

_Sasuke shut his eyes and opened them again. Sakura felt her heart stop beating._

"_Naruto is my real brother. And I love you, I love you both! P-please…take care…of e-each…other!" Sasuke's voice faded._

_He grunted and his eyes shut, like he was falling to sleep after a tiring day._

_Sakura was frozen and silent holding Sasuke in her lap._

_The minutes followed were cold and empty, horrible and dark, tormenting silence._

_Tormenting silence and excruciating cold._

"_Sasuke…!"_

"Sasuke!" she whispered feeling the strength in her fading away.

"Sasuke!" her voice was losing its intensity. Like all the tears she had shed had drained the life out of her.

But the tears kept falling. The marble her face was touching felt soaking wet. She could only feel the coldness of the stone. Nothing more.

She lifted her head feeling cast out. Her eyelids were heavy against her red eyes.

She couldn't take her gaze away from Sasuke's photograph. He looked so handsome, although he was only fourteen on this picture. His mysterious dark look, at the same time polite and happy. It was one of the few Sakura knew, on which Sasuke was smiling.

Sakura chuckled beneath her tears at the memory of this photo. Shikamaru had told this hilarious joke, and it was one of the few moments Sasuke had smiled, and luckily Lee had taken this picture. She should consider thanking Lee, for it was the best picture of Sasuke.

"Later!" she whispered and smiled at Sasuke.

"I miss you!"

Sakura touched the carved name of her beloved teammate. Maybe there would be some kind of sign of him. But even there, the stone felt cold.

She stood up feeling her feet numb. She leaned herself on the stone trying to force the blood to run through her muscles.

It was then when she noticed a Konoha headband lying on top of the stone. It was with blue ribbon and the Konoha leaf stamp was scratched. Sakura missed a heartbeat at the sight of it.

It was Sasuke's badge. Naruto had brought it with him, the day he and Sasuke had fought. When Sasuke had abandoned Konoha and his teammates in order to seek power and revenge.

The day Naruto had promised her that he _would_ bring Sasuke back.

Sakura smiled lightly and touched the warm metal badge. She felt relieved with the warmth of the metal. This feels like there is still a piece of him in our world, she thought happily.

_________________

"Thank you, Kakashi-sama!" the young lady greeted as Kakashi was putting the syrup in his pocket.

Kakashi smiled to the polite lady. She smiled to him even broadly like her smile was about to reach her ears.

"Thank you!" he said simply but politely and left the pharmacy. He glanced at the girl who was still staring at him, like he was covered with honey, ready to eat him alive.

Kakashi sighed and, when he turned around the corner, he took a sip from the syrup. He much preferred using medicine like every normal person did, rather than let the Hokage make him anything, that would probably change his hair color, or transform him in a dog, or destroy his good looks.

He felt the warm and bitter liquid running through his system and coughed as he felt it tickling in his throat.

"Yack!" he said to himself and hid the disgusting syrup in a pocket of his vest.

He walked casually to the north of the village staring at the sky. There were a few small clouds floating to the south. It seemed like they were racing each other, as Kakashi was walking towards the opposite direction.

It was such a beautiful day and after feeling his fever finally wearing out, he wanted to pay him a visit. He didn't have the chance for quite a few days now.

Kakashi reached the open gates of the cemetery of Konoha and felt the chilly breeze freshening his lungs. He took a deep breath and felt strong. There were a few people here, holding flowers in their hands.

Kakashi smiled lightly under the cloth. He walked towards the part of the cemetery where the ninjas of the village lay. He was always feeling bitter seeing so many marble stones around the Hokages' graves. He looked at the four great stones and kept his gaze fixed for a while on the Third's and Fourth's grave.

He didn't feel any sorrow anymore. He only felt lucky for being alive, while such ninjas, as his former sensei, were lying beneath the ground.

The beautiful scent of the new morning made him feel really happy. The previous day was a difficult one, but it was over now. His head was clean, his thoughts calmed down.

As he turned around he noticed the distinguishing pink hair of his student.

Kakashi felt his breathing fastening, but he forced himself to calm down. It was only Sakura, his student. He sighed silently and tried to look calm and normal, like he always did.

He noticed she was holding something and was sure he saw diamonds falling on it. Her straight hair was hiding her face.

He didn't want to scare her, or most importantly interrupt this personal moment. He knew she was standing in front of Sasuke's grave. He felt a deep desire to hold her in his arms and ease her pain. But he made sure to keep this only in his mind. Not show any feeling or any emotion that could make him look guilty. He stood there staring at her.

Her figure, her slim legs, her delicate hands holding Sasuke's headband tight, the lines of muscles visible on her neck and shoulders. She was crying.

No one deserves going through what I went through. I should have been braver, I should have died that night, not my student. The known feeling of disgrace and shame took over him, everything he had felt when Sasuke died, during his funeral, and for a long time ever since.

He had failed as a teacher, as a sensei. And now, watching the pain it caused to Sakura he could not help but feel guilty. Everything would be better if this was my grave, so the three of them could pass by every now and then and live their lives, as they deserve, he thought.

His palms were sweating inside his pockets.

He looked at his feet and searched with his eyes his own teammate's whereabouts.

He was about to leave when he noticed a movement from Sakura's part. He looked at her and watched her as she was watching him.

He decided to be polite and greet her, so he went to Sasuke's grave.

He observed the tired eyes of Sakura and the dried tears all over her face. The strands on her forehead were sticking and she brushed them away from her face. But she was smiling, hardly though.

"K-Kakashi-sensei!" her voice trembled.

"Hey Sakura!" he said calmly, but sounding more affectionate than he meant to.

He looked at the headband in Sakura's hand and then at Sasuke's photograph. He looked happy.

He smiled and then saw that Sakura had seen it.

"He looks really good on this photograph." She said looking at Sasuke.

"Yeah, he does."

Kakashi felt uncomfortable knowing of Sakura's deep affection for Sasuke and how this caused her greater pain. How did she manage to make everyone on Team 7 become so protective over her, he wondered feeling even more guilty.

They stood silent for a long time watching Sasuke's grave, his name on the grey, cold stone, the headband in Sakura's hand. Every now and then she was about to put it back on the stone, but she held back, like she was giving up a living piece of Sasuke. Her hands were shaking and Kakashi only stood still trying to think of a way to make her less sad, without being too affectionate.

Sakura sighed deeply after a long moment of silence and put the headband quickly on Sasuke's grave. It sparkled as a sunray reflected on the metal piece. Sakura's eyes were fixed on it and she suddenly smiled brightly.

Kakashi felt lighter seeing her happy again.

"Time, this is all you need. Then one day you'll be able to return and smile at him." He told her. His voice sounded serious.

Sakura glanced at him and nodded understandingly.

She looked back at Sasuke's photograph.

Kakashi remembered the day he was assigned Team 7. The Third Hokage had insisted in him taking them because of Naruto and Sasuke. Because they were important parts of Konoha's well being. Because of the demon inside of Naruto and because of Sasuke's dark past. He failed in both tasks. The Nine-Tailed Fox was freed and destroyed by Naruto himself and Sasuke, and Sasuke sacrificed himself. He only watched, unable to do anything.

"The path of life…!" Kakashi heard all of a sudden Sakura's voice say.

He turned to look at her, surprised.

Path of life, he thought.

"This is what you often said, that you got lost in the path of life." She continued not taking away her gaze from Sasuke.

Kakashi looked at her and then at the clouds above him. They were moving slower now.

"Yeah, I said that." He couldn't think of something else to say.

He brushed his silver hair backwards, but they returned to their normal posture.

"Now I know what you meant."

Kakashi looked at Sakura. She looked so vulnerable, but so determined and strong at the same time. He felt amazed of her maturity and courage. He could almost feel it in her air.

Sakura leaned on her other leg and rubbed her eyes with her palms.

"Every morning that I wake up, and every night that I go to sleep, I wish…I wish that I could have one minute with him. One minute. Just to look at him, to make sure that he's here. To know if he's…proud of me." She whispered, but her voice was steady.

She sighed and took a step backwards, like she was trying to leave step by step.

"I want to know if everything will be alright from now on. If I _can_ be strong, with him gone."

Kakashi wanted to answer, but he knew she was talking actually to herself. Saying such things was the best medicine. He knew. No words of sympathy would help her as much as her own thoughts said out loud.

She took another step backwards and then froze. Her features looked in deep thought, like a sudden rush ran through her. Like she had seen the most beautiful dream come true. She stood there motionless staring at nothingness, when a smile appeared on her face.

Kakashi felt curious. He would give anything to know her thoughts at that moment.

He even felt afraid. What had happened to her, he wondered intensively.

He noticed Sakura fists open and loosen up and the tensed lines on her neck and shoulders disappear.

"I can be strong for everyone else I love. I will become stronger for this village, for Konoha. I know he'd like that!"

Kakashi looked at Sakura observing the details of her smile. She was happy.

Suddenly she turned to look at him, the first time after a long moment she was staring at Sasuke. He felt cast out for a moment, before finding his true self again.

Kakashi smiled lightly under the cloth.

"I'm sure he is already proud of you, Sakura!"

Sakura stared at him for a minute before smiling at his saying.

She was shining and Kakashi felt dizzy.

She walked passed him and he felt her sweet scent that drove him crazy in the first place. He shut his eyes and forced all strange imaginations disappear.

Remember what you came for, he thought.

Sakura was standing a few feet ahead of him waiting.

Kakashi followed her.

"Well, I have to pay someone else a visit as well." He said calmly moving his hands in his pockets.

Sakura looked at him.

"Ehm, do you mind if-if I come?" she asked politely. She looked a little embarrassed, as though she had asked him to take off his mask.

Kakashi smiled at her.

"If you want your peace I'll leave!" she added quickly.

Kakashi chuckled.

"I don't mind." He said and walked to the opposite direction.

One row below Sasuke's grave, Kakashi halted by a darker marble stone. He looked at the carved name and smiled sadly.

Uchiha Obito.

Sakura was standing behind him and he could hear her gasp silently.

Kakashi touched the carved name and thought of Obito's face. He was such an energetic boy. Naruto always reminded him of Obito. They were very much alike. Their jokes, their smile, the way they faced difficulties. Always brave, always there for their friends.

Having Sakura behind made him feel stronger. Now they were sharing the feeling of the loss of a teammate, of a close friend. And at such a young age.

"They are an unlucky clan." Kakashi commented.

To the left of Obito were the graves of the rest of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke's parents, Sasuke's uncles and cousins, his grandparents. Only Itachi wasn't here. His body was never found, probably Sasuke had got rid of it, as he was the one who had brought the destruction of his family and his happiness. Kakashi couldn't blame him. He would have done the same thing.

"He was your teammate, wasn't he?" Sakura wondered.

Kakashi smiled.

"Yeah, and a great one too. Imagine Naruto, only a bit smarter and less loud!"

Sakura chuckled.

Kakashi felt nice for making her laugh.

After a silent minute he saw Sakura walk passed him and kneeled on Obito's grave. She put her palm on the grass in front of the carved stone and closed he eyes.

Kakashi stood still.

After a few seconds Sakura was up. Kakashi noticed a beautiful bright yellow rose right where Sakura had laid her hand.

Kakashi noticed also small droplets of water on the magnificent velvet petals.

He turned to Sakura.

"The yellow roses represent friendship. I thought it was the best I could do." She said looking at her creation and then back at Kakashi.

Kakashi loved it. It looked beautiful. It was unique since it wasn't in a glass, but it grew right out of the soil, where Obito was.

He smiled and felt a sensational warmth in his eye. He even felt his Sharingan watery.

Obito…

"Thank you!" he whispered.

"You're welcome!"

They smiled at each other and together they walked away from their friends and teammates, as the sun was giving its energy to the beautiful yellow rose.

**Thank you for reading and reviewing**

**Take care!**

**Until next time…!**


	11. 11Messages

**Hey hey:)**

**sorry for he waiting! here's the next chapter - the adventurous part finally begins!**

**HAVE FUN!!!**

"Hokage-sama, no one survived." said Tenzo, his face grief.

Tsunade hid her face behind her palm. She felt her head heavy and the air too thin to breathe. It was the third ANBU team that had failed to return alive and she was out of ideas.

"What did they find out, Tenzo?" she requested sounding tired.

The sunrays were warming her back as she was sitting by her desk in the Hokage's Office.

"The last message of them was the one that arrived early this morning." Tenzo informed her. His voice was warm and serious. It calmed Tsunade somehow. Tenzo was one of the few ninjas of this village she trusted, and she knew she could count on him. Even though she never approved the fact that he was bearing a part of her grandfather's gene, something that was caused by Orochimaru her former teammate as one of his hundreds experiments on humans, he proved liable and trustful.

Tsunade looked at the scroll lying on her desk.

She sighed and stood up.

She turned her back to Tenzo and looked out of the huge window, which observed Konoha.

It was such a beautiful day and she was hoping of getting finally good news from the third and perfectly skilled for such a mission ANBU team.

Madara, she thought of the name and felt rage growing inside her.

She would give anything to have the chance of fighting him.

Madara Uchiha, he was the last member of the Akatsuki alive. According to the few information gathered, Madara was never actually a loyal member of the Akatsuki. He joined only to get in touch with the youngest Uchiha that was still living. It seems Madara was well aware of Sasuke's desire to avenge for the murder of his family and kill Itachi, his older brother. But, for some reason, all these three years after Sasuke's and Itachi's death, Madara was still active.

The evidence gathered showed dead young genins on Madara's path. He was hunting down genin groups around the five great shinobi countries, killing one member of each team. Most of the dead genins came from the Land of Snow, three came from the Sand Village, two came from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Fortunately, there was still no victim from Konoha.

This is why Tsunade had ordered no genin teams to leave on missions beyond the borders of Konoha, ever since they had concluded that those deaths were no coincidence.

Tsunade had discussed of the matter with the council of Elders, with her best ANBU ninjas, but no one knew anything more than she did.

There was no reasonable explanation of Madara Uchiha's actions.

Tsunade looked towards the building of the Ninja's Academy. How many genins were in there right now. How many of them were banned on going on missions because of Madara Uchiha.

She hated being blind. She hated having to face an unknown danger. She hated having to risk the lives of so many good ninjas. But she had to. She had to face the threat, she had to face the destroyer of Konoha and the murderer of so many innocent younglings.

She turned to Tenzo looking decisive.

"Call Kakashi and Turo."

Tenzo stayed focused on her with a wondrous look.

But Tsunade's angry look made him move hastily nodding.

He disappeared behind a cloud of smoke.

Tsunade sighed and walked quickly towards a bookcase that extended by the entire wall. It was filled with hundreds of folders containing files of missions, profiles, history books, ANBU records, some magazines of hers and, of course, hidden behind an extra piece of wood, a bottle of sake.

Tsunade opened it and took a sip, when she heard faint footsteps approaching. She swore to the bottle and hid it. She was standing, leaning on the bookcase when Shizune opened the door.

She was holding little Tonton in her lap. He squeaked to Tsunade greeting her.

"The first part of the chuunin exams just began, Tsunade-sama. It will be an interesting competition, I'm sure. There are fifty-six participants coming only from the Sand Village. While ours are only twenty. Tsunade-sama, you look pale!" Shizune noticed coming closer to Tsunade.

Tsunade looked at her frowning.

"I will send Kakashi to search for Madara." She said simply, although her voice sounded deeper than usual.

"You mean Kakashi-team?"Shizune looked shocked for a second.

"No, not Naruto. I can't send him. I won't. I made Jiraya a promise. The boy's not ready yet to face that Uchiha. No, I mean Kakashi, along with Tenzo and Turo." Tsunade tried to think of anybody else she could send along. They needed a medic-ninja for sure and she even thought of sending Shikamaru along as well.

But if she should send Kakashi on this mission, Naruto would eventually find out. She had to find a way of distracting Naruto's attention.

At that moment sounded new footsteps on the hallway.

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" Tsunade said harshly.

A messenger entered holding a new piece of scroll.

Tsunade noticed it bear the stamp of the Sand Village.

"An urgent message coming from the Kazekage of the Sand Village." The messenger said his eyes wide open.

Shizune took it from the messenger's hand and thanked him.

She gave it to Tsunade.

Tsunade unfolded it quickly and read the fine handwriting of Gaara-sama.

_Hokage-sama, this matter is of extreme urgency._

_Knowing the threat coming from a former Akatsuki member, Madara Uchiha, we have sent a best-qualified team on search of his trails. There is evidence of new victims in the Land of Thunder. Specifically in the Village of the Thousand Ghosts, south of the Village Hidden in the Clouds. For the reason that our village has suffered the loss of three genins, I request your assistance on sending a combined team of Leaf and Sand shinobi at the spot to gather information._

_According to our existing evidence, there is an accomplice with Madara Uchiha. He's known by the name Kuroi._

_Waiting for an answer_

_Sincerely, Kazekage of the Sand Village_

Tsunade had the deepest desire of calling upon every single jonin and ANBU ninja and lead them to war with that bastard Uchiha. He had just killed more children.

"No such person deserves to live!" she shouted and threw the scroll on her desk.

She grunted, Shizune and Tonton keeping a distance from her.

Tsunade sat on her desk and fetched a new piece of scroll and sank her pen in black ink.

She could smell the bitter scent of the fresh ink and without thinking much she scribbled on the parchment.

_Kazekage-sama_

_A team of four best-qualified shinobi will be awaiting your team at the Bridge In The Rain in a time of one and a half day counting from the minute you receive this message._

_Sincerely, Hokage of the Leaf Village_

She rolled it and handed it to the messenger who was still standing in the centre of the office. He looked nervous as Tsunade walked up to him.

"Send it to the Kazekage now. It's urgent." She ordered using her Hokage-tone.

The messenger bowed and left muttering "Right away, Lady Hokage!"

Tsunade waited until she heard the door slam behind her.

She looked at Shizune who looked anxious, her beautiful characteristics darkened.

"Tsunade-sama, are you alright?" Shizune said in a low worrying tone.

"No, I'm not. I need a drink." Tsunade muttered, but was serious. She could drink the entire bottle in one swallow. Maybe this would make Madara Uchiha disappear.

Tsunade wanted to punch the wall and turn it into dust, imagining it was Uchiha's face.

"A tea would be a better choice, I think. Let me make you one. A green tea calm-!"

"Shizune-san, call for Shikamaru and Naruto right away!" interrupted Tsunade. She needn't any tea. She needed Uchiha dead.

Shizune left Tonton on Tsunade's desk and left quickly the office.

Tsunade felt ready to explode. Like the heat boiling up in her was burning her insides, like her brain was about to burst open. She hated this man. She hated him for hating her clan, Senju, she hated him for being one of the actual grounders of Konoha, she hated him for causing so much pain by being the real reason behind Sasuke's seek for revenge, she hated him for being an Akatsuki, she hated him for being the one who planned Konoha's destruction, she hated him for killing children, she hated him with all her might.

"I _will _find you, Uchiha. I _will_ find you and then I'll destroy you!"

___________

The Hokage Tower was buzzing. Everywhere ran messengers and jonins up and down.

Kakashi knew it was always like that, but for some reason he was feeling a strange air in the tower this time.

It was like a threat had arisen. Like the smell of rain while watching a single dark cloud in the sky. Kakashi felt a bit nervous as he was climbing the stairs.

But he was feeling good as well, since the welcoming sweet scent of Sakura next to him was reaching his nostrils. He glanced at her with the corner of his right eye and saw her looking so cute, but so mysterious too. Like she knew she was being watched and wore an expressionless mask. Kakashi wanted to laugh thinking like that. He was the only one who acted that selfishly, not wanting anyone to know his true feelings. Sakura was exactly the opposite of him.

She said what she was thinking, and she showed it as well. This is why she was so respectful and strong. She knew what she was feeling and she didn't get lost, while trying to conceal her true thoughts and emotions. At least this is how he remembered her. Maybe she has changed, Kakashi thought.

They reached the first floor following the cylindrical corridor. The windows extending on the one side of the corridor gave a surrounding view of Konoha.

It was a wonderful summer's day, Kakashi observed.

Passing by two doors, they reached the double-doors of the Hokage's office.

Kakashi heard Tsunade's intense voice, she sounded really angry about something.

Sakura must have heard it a well, as Kakashi exchanged worried glances with her.

Kakashi noticed that he was standing quite close to Sakura. So close he could just feel her exhaling and could see all tints of turquoise in her eyes. He felt a shiver taking him over and stepped backwards in order to hide it.

"It's Kakashi." He said calmly and when he heard Tsunade's harsh voice allowing them to enter, he pushed the one leaf of the door open with the tips of his fingers, letting Sakura enter first.

He followed her taking the chance to feel her scent once more before walking away from her.

He avoided looking at her and instead glanced at all the guests.

There stood the Hokage in front of her desk holding a pen fidgeting with it. She looked furious, her forehead wrinkled, vanishing the small tattooed evidence of her Creation Rebirth seal, and her lips pressed together.

In front of her stood Tenzo-san and Turo-san. They were both wearing their jonin uniforms, their faces worried.

Kakashi looked at Tsunade.

She was looking at Sakura. It seemed to him like the Hokage wanted to talk to Sakura alone.

After a minute of silence, Tsunade looked at the three jonins one after the other, when she fixed her gaze on Kakashi.

"Read this." She said handing him a dark scroll.

Kakashi looked at the small parchment and read it.

_Urgent message for the Hokage_

_Trails found 2 miles east of the Village of the Blue Tree, before an encounter with a shinobi called Kuroi. Ox fatally injured. Followed trails by a waterfall with cherry blossomed trees. A child, genin, found deceased hanging by a tree. A note found on the corpse, sent along with this message. Now following trails leading southeast of the waterfall._

Kakashi noticed a piece of the parchment ripped off at the bottom and the ink smudged at the end of the last word, like the sender had written something too hastily. Kakashi froze at the thought of what might have happened.

He knew of the rumors about Madara Uchiha being back killing younglings, but he never asked about more information. He knew now it was his turn to attend the matter. Tsunade must be very desperate of that matter to have called for Tenzo-san, Turo-san and himself.

He looked up at Tsunade.

"I want you to follow those trails and find out what on earth happened to the ANBU team." She said talking to all three of them.

"Madara Uchiha has a partner as it seems." Turo commented.

"Yes, it's confirmed also by our neighbors. The sand ninjas encountered this Kuroi as well."

"Do they know who he is?" Turo asked frowning.

Tsunade moved on her desk and turned to Turo.

"No." she said. Her voice sounded like it hurt to speak.

"This is why I want you three to follow the trails and find out more. I want to know where this Uchiha is." Her voice was trembling with fury.

"Shall we go as ANBU?" Tenzo asked in a low tone.

Kakashi was thinking of Sakura. There was no reason not to trust her, but he felt strange having to show his ANBU side in front of her. Usually the assignment over such important missions was held under great secrecy. But Tsunade trusted Sakura. _He_ trusted Sakura.

"No. The last three ANBU teams failed. Let you appear as normal jonins, maybe then Uchiha will try to get in touch with you, as he's the kind who likes talking. I guess the murder of the ANBU ninjas was only a message."

"A message?" Turo wondered.

"It seems this entire thing was a stage. The hanging genin with the note, the trails. Like Madara wants to show off his power. It's like he knows our every move. It seems he wants to communicate with someone more important, someone the Hokage trusts." Tenzo spoke to Turo.

Kakashi folded his arms on his chest.

"Where is the note?" he asked.

Tsunade looked at him. Her gaze darkened.

"There was none." She said simply.

Kakashi glanced at the window and then turned to Tsunade again.

"We shall leave immediately, before more killings occur." He said being decisive. He knew the importance of this mission. He knew that Madara Uchiha knew that Kakashi was one of the most important ninjas of Konoha and a trusted one of the Hokage. He wouldn't speak with anyone else than one the Hokage trusted with her life.

Kakashi remembered when he had first encountered this powerful ninja. His level of Sharingan was way beyond his. He was a master of twice the jutsus he was, and probably even more.

It was the first time he feared of fighting a shinobi that much.

Kakashi noticed that the Hokage was watching Sakura.

"Madara Uchiha?" sounded Sakura's trembling voice.

Kakashi turned to look at her. She was standing closer to Tsunade on the other side of the office. Her hands were tight fists and her eyes were fixed on Tsunade's. Kakashi could imagine perfectly what she was feeling.

All this time they were talking about a mission to go and _discuss _with Sasuke's murderer.

"What's he up to?" Sakura demanded to know.

She sounded determined to know the truth. Kakashi wondered why the Hokage had let Sakura listen to all of this in the first place. He turned to Tsunade. She looked worried.

"He's killing genins from all over the great five shinobi countries, Sakura, and he has an accomplice as it seems. We must find out why he's doing all this." She explained to her talking a bit too slow.

Sakura grunted under her breathe.

"Why must we find out _why_ he's doing this, and not just find him and kill him?" she requested moving a step closer to Tsunade.

"Because it's Madara Uchiha we're talking about. He's probably the most powerful ninja alive, Sakura. We can't just walk to his hideout and challenge him on a fight, like-!"

"Of course we can. He did it! Why can't we?" Sakura's voice echoed stronger and angrier.

"Sakura, I want to destroy him as much as you do!' Tsunade shouted to Sakura. The echo hit the walls making it quake for a second.

Sakura froze frowning at her master.

Kakashi hated seeing Tsunade furious. She turned into a monster. But most of all he hated watching her shouting at Sakura.

"You could keep it a secret from me, Tsunade-sama." Sakura said in a lower and calmer tone. She was still angry nonetheless.

Tsunade walked quickly to Sakura with an apologized look on her face.

Turo, Tenzo and Kakashi looked at them.

"Sakura, I'm sorry for having to listen to this like that. I know what you feel about this- this monster. But you are a great kunoichi and I need you. I need you on this mission. You are the best medic-nin in the village. And I can only trust you on this mission." Tsunade assured her holding Sakura from her shoulders.

Kakashi felt taken out. He couldn't help but protest.

"Hokage-sama. I believe Tenzo-san and myself are capable enough in medic-ninjutsu. Sakura shouldn't attend this mission. It's too risky to-!"

"Kakashi, this is not your decision." Tsunade interrupted him turning slowly her gaze towards him.

"She's my student as well, Hokage-sama, so I have the right to decide if a student of mine can attend this mission or not." He insisted trying to sound less angry than he felt. He kept his eye fixed on Tsunade.

"She stopped being anyone's student ever since she left, Kakashi. Let _her_ decide." Tsunade said harshly.

Kakashi turned to Sakura. She was looking worryingly at Tsunade and then she looked at him, like she was trying to find an answer.

Tsunade was right. She should make the choice. Sakura was mature enough to know if she could handle going on this mission. She would know if she would be a burden or actually helpful.

Kakashi trusted her, but he couldn't trust himself anymore knowing that she would walk down a very risky road that he couldn't avoid. But he would be there. He would watch over her. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Sakura looked at Tsunade.

"I can do it. I will attend this mission." She said calmly.

Kakashi froze. He couldn't move his eyes off of her.

He took a deep breath and put his hands inside his pockets feeling real fear taking him over.

"Great! Leave as soon as you can! I want to be informed on your every move. Twice a day." said Tsunade relieved. She fell on her seat behind her desk.

"What about Naruto?." Sakura said.

"Oh, there is another mission of equal importance awaiting him. Don't worry." Tsunade said half smiling.

Kakashi wished for a moment if only he could punch her for forcing Sakura, and now Naruto, into such danger. But he only thought of his anger, not showing a thing on his half hidden face.

"Of equal importance?" Sakura wondered.

"There are other trails at the south of the Village Hidden in the Clouds. Another jonin team will attend this matter. Naruto will go along this way, with Shikamaru, Shizune and Neji."

"But how do you know where Madara is? He could be there and if he gets in Naruto's way, it…! Tsunade-sama, I should be watching over Naruto, I don't believe he will be able to restrain himself." Sakura said. She was fidgeting the small skirt above her black leggings.

"Sakura, did you forget that Naruto bears no longer this monster inside of him? He has evolved tremendously. I've been watching his training all this time. He may be even stronger now he has the space to improve the capacity of his own chakra and not that of the Nine-Tailed Fox. You're right that, may Madara be there-which I don't believe-, Naruto will turn mad. But he has matured. He has grown Sakura. Once you watch him fight you'll understand." Tsunade assured her, her honey-brown eyes fixed on Sakura's.

Sakura was silent watching at the window behind of the Hokage. She looked uncertain, like she wanted to believe but couldn't.

Kakashi wished to comfort Sakura. To assure her himself that her friend would be perfectly fine. He thought of trying to persuade Tsunade of rearranging the teams. But he should do this in private.

He turned to Tsunade. There was one thing that made him still uneasy about Madara Uchiha.

"Hokage-sama, may I ask, what makes you think Uchiha is at the Village of the Blue Tree and not at the Village of the Thousand Clouds. It's two different directions. There were at both places trails of him." He wondered.

Tsunade looked at him. She looked more tired than ever.

"My ANBU team actually saw Madara. The sand ninjas at the Village Hidden in the Clouds only found Kuroi and trails of his master. I had received a message yesterday night. Madara no longer wears the cloak with red clouds on it." She told them. She rubbed the sides of her forehead before lifting her head to look at each of them with a serious dark look.

Tenzo and Turo turned to look at Kakashi.

Kakashi noticed their serious looks, like they were awaiting his order. For some reason, even if he didn't actually want it, they thought of him as their leader. He noticed Sakura standing next to Turo staring at Tsunade.

Kakashi felt a warmth inside his chest, it tickled his insides and caused him to lose his row of thinking.

Kakashi looked back at his fellow teammates.

"I need to have a word with the Hokage. Wait for my call." He told them calmly.

Turo nodded and was about to leave.

Tenzo, on the other hand, stayed still looking at Kakashi with a wondrous look.

Kakashi was well aware of Tenzo's curious nature, but he rarely showed it. He also looked worried like he had noticed that something weird was happening inside his leader's and teacher's head.

Kakashi assured him with one look that everything was alright.

Tenzo nodded after a minute of silence between them and abandoned the office.

Kakashi heard the door close and looked at Tsunade who was staring at him seriously. Her eyelids were about to shut and she had taken off her green anorak.

"What is it, Kakashi?" she asked annoyed.

"I think we should make some changes. Let Sakura go with Naruto's team. And Shizune may attend our mission." He said staying focused on the Hokage.

Sakura was still in the room, but he wanted her to stay. If his students were about to attend these risky missions, let them be at least together.

"Kakashi, I made up my mind. I trust Shizune with Naruto she can control him."

"Sakura can control him better. And Naruto trusts her."

"This is what I want to avoid, Kakashi. Shikamaru is a perfect leader, he will keep Naruto restrained if there is the need. But right now, your mission is the most important, this is why I want the best on it, understood?" Tsunade insisted her voice loud and steady.

Kakashi wasn't persuaded and it seems he had shown it, for Tsunade stood up and approached him.

"This mission has to do with secrecy and tactfulness. Turo-san, Tenzo-san and yourself are the best I have. I want you to return all safe with as much information as you can get. And I know Sakura will make sure this happens. I trained her. You should know it as well." She told him with a quieter tone.

Kakashi felt his thoughts travel back to the cemetery, when Sakura spoke of the path of life. How people get lost in it. He felt this sensation right that moment. He took a deep breath not looking away of Tsunade's steady gaze.

He nodded and looked at Sakura.

"Aye, Hokage-sama." He said and moved his hands inside his pockets.

She trusted Sakura more than him or Tenzo and Turo. He understood her plan. He wanted Sakura to speak with Madara Uchiha. The anger inside of him wouldn't calm down. But he would be there, by her side. If Madara Uchiha tried to lift a single finger on Sakura, he would destroy him.


	12. 12Mission

It was noon when Kakashi, Tenzo, Turo and Sakura departed for the Village of the Blue Tree.

Sakura felt strange as they walked past the gates of Konoha. It felt strange leaving for a mission. Three years she had no home to leave behind. She was free and went wherever her heart wished to. Now she had a task and that was to protect her team, to act as a responsible medic-ninja would act. As a Konoha ninja would act.

She felt proud being part of a team again. Even though she truly desired to be back with Sasuke and Naruto, she knew this was only a dream. She knew Sasuke would never return back to her. He was gone.

He is gone, she thought to herself as they were running fast through the big trees that hid Konoha.

Kakashi was ahead and Turo and Tenzo on each side of her.

She was watching Kakashi-sensei's back as she was thinking of Naruto.

She wondered what he would say about his mission. Would he be as scared as she was with the probability that they would eventually run into Madara Uchiha. The person behind all evil that had possessed Konoha and its villagers for the last few years. Would he seek for revenge.

Sakura frowned thinking of Tsunade's certainty that Madara would be waiting for them.

How could she be so sure. What if Madara was actually after Naruto, she wondered.

There was information of which she was not aware of. Kakashi-sensei and the rest seemed to be ok with the matter.

She looked at them trying not to look too curious. Their faces were determined, almost blank. Like they perfectly understood the purpose of this mission. Like there was no doubt in their minds.

She had to understand if she was to attend this mission. She had the right to know. They were after Madara and, although she was neither a jonin nor an ANBU ninja, she had to know.

"Yamato-sensei, what did the previous ANBU teams find out about Madara?" she asked looking at Tenzo, or Yamato as she was used to calling him.

Although Yamato was only a code name he had come up with a few years ago, almost everybody outside the ANBU elite called him like that.

Yamato glanced at Sakura. His metallic mask that surrounded his face reflected a sunray, which blinded Sakura for a moment.

Sakura noticed that he first glanced at Kakashi, as he was seeking for his approval to tell her what he knew.

She felt annoyed by that. She was a part of the team, they had to at least trust her. But then again she was gone for three years, she would also act cautious like Yamato did.

He turned to her and seemed a bit more relaxed.

"Well, the first ANBU team only managed to send one message informing their location, which was just south of the Sand Village. There was nothing of significance on that message. They were killed afterwards. They only managed to send a crow with a blank piece of parchment. It's one way for the ANBU ninjas to inform the Hokage of their failure. The second one lasted a bit longer. They managed to send three messages. The first one told of their location, which was in the Land of Waves, 4 miles northwest of the Village with the White Stones. Their second message spoke of them making acquaintance with Kuroi, who told them he works with Uchiha. They didn't have the chance to fight him. They said he can teleport as well. As you remember, Sakura, teleporting is Madara Uchiha's special ability. Well, the third spoke of a murder of a young sand genin and then there was silence from this team. Tsunade was furious when she found out. This happened the day before she left to find you. So she decided to send another ANBU team."

"And the third ANBU team? What did they find out?" Sakura asked impatiently.

Yamato looked at her serious. His face darkened as he spoke.

"Their first message spoke of their location, the second one was a longer one. The team had met Kuroi in the Village of the Blue Tree. They spied on him. They wrote he met with a kunoichi of the Land of Thunder and she gave him something wrapped in red cloth. As they followed him he teleported behind a bush."

"Did they know this thunder kunoichi?" Sakura asked as she jumped above a branch and came back to the same level as Yamato.

"Apparently not. They would have mentioned a name. This we have to find out ourselves." He said staring straight ahead.

Sakura tried to combine all of these events. None of them had actually met paths with Madara Uchiha, only with this accomplice of his, Kuroi.

"And the rest messages of the last ANBU team? What did they say?" Sakura went on, her curiosity taking over every other thought in her mind.

"The third was the most shocking of all. They stayed at the borders of the Village of the Blue Tree and saw Uchiha only a mile west of the village. They saw him holding ninja badges in his hands. It must have been the forehead protectors of all the genins he has killed. They also wrote that Uchiha no longer wears the black cloak with red clouds. He was with Kuroi and they were talking, when one member of the team approached Uchiha and Kuroi to listen to more. Kuroi killed him. It was a trap, as a Shadow Clone was hidden behind the ANBU ninja. The rest fled. But they made eye contact with Uchiha. In the end of the message there was this comment. The ANBU wrote that Madara had smiled to them. _Like he knew_, this is what they wrote." Yamato was looking at Sakura, like he wanted to see the effect it had on her.

Sakura imagined the evil smile on Madara Uchiha's face and the shiny threatening Sharingan staring. She felt an intense shiver through her bones and turned back to Yamato.

"He knows?" she couldn't control her voice.

If Madara Uchiha knew the ANBU ninjas, then he would definitely know that they were heading to find him. There would be no chance of an ambush. They were vulnerable. Like mice running to the snakepit.

"He is older than Tsunade-sama, much older than the Third Hokage. He was one of the grounders of Konoha. So I'm positive he possesses hundred as many jutsus as Kakashi-senpai possesses. He is the most powerful ninja alive and we must expect everything from him. He might be able to predict the future, to read people's minds, to control people. He might even be able to revive the dead. So there is no wonder he knows we're coming. And I'm sure he knows exactly _who _is coming." Yamato said with a grief look.

Sakura wanted to turn back and gather every shinobi and kunoichi of the village so that they could all combine their jutsus in order to defeat this monster.

How did Tsunade expect from them to survive this mission. And why, out of all the ninjas of Konoha, did she send _her_ along. She knew perfectly well that Kakashi, Yamato and Turo were the best shinobi of the village, maybe even in the Fire Country, but why her.

She remembered that moment something about a hanging genin.

"Was there another message from the last ANBU team?"

Yamato glanced at her worried.

"Yes. The last one spoke of their last location, by a waterfall. They fought with Kuroi as they found a dead genin by the waterfall. One of the members of the team died in battle. The other one managed to send the message before being murdered. He spoke of a note on the genin's body. According to the ANBU shinobi, he sent it along with the message, but there was none. It was also ripped. I can only guess that Kuroi found the hawk with the message and reclaimed the note that was found on the dead genin."

Sakura fell silent. They all were silent for a long moment. She could easily distinguish the breathing of her teammates. Yamato's was steady, but sounded nervous, whereas Turo's was calmer but still intense. She couldn't hear Kakashi's breathing though. Like he was inhaling and exhaling with complete control and the less sound possible.

She listened to her own breathing and tried to calm it down by taking deeper breathes and exhaling slowly.

She wasn't panting due to the running, but to the information she had just received. This Kuroi seemed a strong and unpredictable ninja. She had faced many of those during her journey around the country. She remembered how she was too slow and too naïve. Four months ago she had faced a missing ninja of the Village Hidden in the Mist. He was twice her age and an experienced ninja. He was using water and earth-natured jutsus. He was also a master of puppets using them combined with his elemental jutsus. She viewed every detail of this fight in her mind.

She had used taijutsu first in order to make out what kind of a shinobi he was. That was a wrong move, as she had to first make out what kind of a fighter he was. A close combat one or a distant one. It proved with this missing ninja that he was a close combat type. So the best strategy would be to use a genjutsu and find out his type. Then she would make out his style, if he was a master of ninjutsu, genjutsu or taijutsu.

Sakura had invented a move that was useful to find out her opponent's style. It was a combination of genjutsu, ninjutsu and taijutsu which needed a small amount of chakra.

She hoped for a second that Kuroi didn't also have this strange ability of predicting, or else any kind of move she would make, would be useless. This is why she would never win in a fight with Sasuke.

She missed a heartbeat as she remembered Sasuke.

The only move that would work against the prediction ability would for her to not plan her moves at all.

That will be difficult, she thought intensively.

She always based her fights on planning.

Then I must think of another way, she told to herself.

The blurry forest passing them by seemed to fade away in the velocity they were running. The air filtered by the thousands of leaves seemed greenish and the intense smell of wet dirt and wood filled Sakura's lungs.

It calmed her down and she promised to herself to think of something later, when her mind would be more relaxed, after she would have digested all the new information.

_________

The journey to the Village of the Blue Tree was a week ahead. But in their speed running it would be reduced to five days.

Kakashi, Turo, Yamato and Sakura took their first break late in the evening in the dense forest that surrounded Konoha.

Although they needed to be fast, they also had to be ready for any combat, so Kakashi, as the leader, suggested on taking breaks only late at night to rest.

Sakura sat on a broken branch that lay on the wet grass. The forest smelled beautiful and she had finally calmed herself, after thinking over and over all the information Yamato had shared.

She was observing Turo building a small fireplace in front of her and lit it with a silent jutsu. She noticed a single flame bursting out of his forefinger. Turo must be a fire-natured shinobi, she thought.

Sakura remembered Sasuke's Fire Ball Jutsu. A jutsu known in the Uchiha clan. Sasuke had managed to evolve it into a Fire Whirlwind Jutsu, and she remembered when he had actually used it against the Nine-Tailed Fox which had made its way out of Naruto's body.

She felt calm and sleepy as she was watching the fire burning. Mumbling was heard and she turned to see Kakashi and Yamato whispering with each other. She slowly turned her head as she had laid it on her knees and observed the two shinobi.

She smiled slightly observing her sensei's cool and calm attitude. How he always hid his hands inside his pockets and how his shoulders fell loose. She caught herself watching any movement she could make behind the dark cloth that hid the lower part of his face.

As he was speaking to Yamato, Kakashi was moving his lips too lightly it seemed like he didn't move his lips at all. Suddenly she had the deepest desire to rip his mask off and get a glimpse of Kakashi's lips.

Sakura lifted her head quickly like it would push this strange thought away and turned to Turo.

He was eating with great pleasure a sandwich. Sakura could smell the cheese and it woke her own hunger up.

She heard her stomach complain and smiled stupidly to herself.

She took her own sandwich out of her backpack and ate it, watching the fire and avoiding Kakashi.

"Have you ever fought Madara Uchiha?" Sakura heard suddenly Turo say.

He was looking lazily at the fire.

Sakura looked at him and then turned back at staring the fire.

"No. I haven't."

Turo was silent for a moment, before he sat down on the grass leaning his back on the branch Sakura was sitting on.

"I don't look forward to fighting him, but I'd like to see him fight. He must be the component every self-respective shinobi dreams to fight with."

Sakura swallowed hardly a piece of her sandwich and noticed Turo smiling lightly. His eyes had a dark blue colour.

"A self-respective ninja wouldn't go to Madara Uchiha and ask him on a fight, not if he or she loves the life they have and knows there are better things rather than searching for the ultimate component. The one who will push you to your limits." Sakura said frowning under the light of the fire.

Turo turned to look her into her eyes. Sakura felt uncomfortable under his intense and serious gaze.

"I thought this is why you left. To become stronger, this is what I heard."

Sakura had never talked with Turo-san in this level. She knew him only by face. She had first met him while training under Tsunade's guidance in the Hokage Tower. She had heard him being a great and respectful ninja, and he had played an important part in the fight during Pein's invasion.

But now he asked a quite personal question and she wasn't sure of telling him. But she also hated giving the wrong impression to others.

"By becoming strong it doesn't mean someone has to find his ultimate component and fight him. I fought many and each fight pushed me a bit farther. But fighting is not the only way of becoming stronger." She said in a lower tone.

Turo was observing her for a moment before he turned to stare the fire once more.

His face seemed less serious, like he knew he had asked something rather personal. So he fell silent.

Sakura put the rest of her sandwich back to her backpack and put on a red jacket, as the night chill got more intense.

Yamato and Kakashi finally joined them after a long moment. They both sat on the other side of the fire. Yamato looked annoyed, though Kakashi kind of bored.

"What's wrong with you, little birds?" Turo joked placing a new piece of wood in the flames.

Yamato shot him a killer glance, but Turo obviously didn't even see it.

Sakura hugged her knees and felt the beautiful warmth of the fire taking over her.

Yamato suddenly smiled like he wasn't annoyed with anything.

"Hey, Turo-san, I wanted to come by the bar yesterday. How was it? I wanted so much to come. I heard Iruka met someone?" Yamato smiled ironically at the last sentence.

"Well, I see news do spread fast!" Turo commented.

"Where you there?" Yamato asked looking at Kakashi.

Kakashi lazily lifted his gaze from the fire to look at Yamato.

"Nope." He said simply.

Sakura tried once more to notice any movement beneath the cloth.

"Yeah, you both missed this hilarious scene. I guess you saw it too, didn't you?" Turo asked Sakura. Sakura frowned. "With Naruto and the waitress!" Turo asked.

Sakura nodded.

"Ah, yes. I was there." She said simply smiling at the memory.

"What happened? What did the kid do this time?" Yamato wondered.

"Well, Hanah, the waitress, she had this huge crush on Naruto. I first noticed it a couple of months ago. I remember her asking us about him, like _when will the young jonins come again_ and _if you've heard of Naruto_ and stuff like that. So, last night she finally made the move and cornered the poor guy and made out with him. I don't know what he did. I think he seemed to like it!"

Yamato laughed.

"Well well, we did miss the best I must say!" Yamato commented leaning back on a tree.

Sakura noticed Kakashi looking at the fire, like he didn't pay attention to their sayings.

What's on his mind, she wondered intensively.

Sakura looked at Yamato.

"How come you two hadn't come?" she asked and noticed Kakashi looking up at her.

She looked at Yamato who took off his gloves and placed his hands above the fire.

"I was at the hospital, they needed my opinion on some wood elemental jutsus. And this guy here," Yamato showed at Kakashi "he had a cold."

Sakura remembered how Kakashi was looking a bit not himself during their trip back to Konoha from the Sand Village, but she never asked. She felt ashamed not noticing that her sensei was sick. She couldn't imagine Kakashi being vulnerable.

"Are you alright now, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked.

Kakashi looked at her and smiled under the cloth.

"Yep, as healthy as a horse!"

Sakura smiled lightly seeing him look so relaxed. His gaze turned back to the fire.

"And what about Iruka-san. You said, he met someone?" Yamato went on looking at Turo.

"Yeah, this new jonin, I think Hikaru is her name. They were both drank and, you know, one thing brought the other, and suddenly I turn around and see the gal all over Iruka. It was unbelieavable. He always was a quiet person. Everybody was surprised, he even…!"

Sakura wasn't listening anymore. She was staring at the fire with her eyelids half closed, but she was actually trying to observe Kakashi who was sitting opposite her. She was afraid to look straight at him, maybe he would sense her stare. She couldn't see his one visible eye, but she could see the cloth. She noticed a light movement at one moment, but then he was still again. She noticed how he folded his arms in front of his chest and saw it moving as he breathed.

She didn't quite understand why she was observing everything on him, but it made her feel calm. Only losing herself to the details on Kakashi was enough for her to not think of more painful or frightening things. She felt good trying to distinguish any movement of his lips, of his cheeks. She felt comfortable watching the air filling his lungs and how his chest was moving. She felt lucky to have him with her. As risky and dangerous this mission was, she knew that this man she was observing so intensely would protect her. He would be there for her and only him being there would give her all the courage she needed to fight. She trusted him. She trusted him with her life.

Sakura smiled and decided to take a nap. Yamato and Turo were still laughing about Iruka-sensei's making out with the new jonin, while Kakashi, Sakura saw with the corner of the eye, was lying on the grass and he was reading one of his strange books with the orange cover.

Sakura hid a chuckle as she was taking out her futon and slept peacefully under a tree with Kakashi's face drawn behind her eyelids.

**Oooo thank you so much for reading!**

**Any comments and suggestions are welcome ;)**

**Until next time lol.........**


	13. 13Strangers

**Hello :)**

**if you wonder, the 20 first chapters were written for a long time now, but I've been delaying now as the plot gets kind of complicated, so I had to reread them and correct any mistakes or flaws in the story... I personally like how it turned up, but I'm more interested in knowing what **you **think!!!**

**As I do not own Naruto, I'm free to come up with whatever I want, like new characters: Turo-san for example and many more later to come... also I've invented many jutsus (!) so don't get that shocked with Temari's iron style (I'm not even sure if there is such a thing!)**

**Oceansize's song "Long forgotten" was my inspiration for Sakura's imaginary journey in the beginning!**

**HAVE FUN!!!**

Sakura stretched her hands above her head and yawned. The speed running had made her body grow numb every time they rested. They had been running three days long, only stopping when really necessary.

Sakura lifted her gaze and saw imaginary lines connecting the stars on the velvet black sky. There was no moon tonight and she imagined her arms transforming into feathery wings, flapping them and flying towards the non-existing end of the night sky.

She imagined the chilly air growing thinner and thinner as she was gaining height, frost forming on her lips and burning her lungs. But she liked it. There awaited the ultimate silence, the most perfect peace. No thoughts, no worries. Just the sky and its stars, little diamonds competing with their glow.

She shut her eyes in order to only feel the magic the outerspace was radiating to Earth. The invisible rays, the evidence of some other existence, maybe the whispers of the dead. Maybe she could hear his voice again.

Here, where it's so quiet.

_Sasuke, can you hear me?_

She stopped breathing the thin air trying to distinguish his voice, a sound, any sound.

Maybe his heartbeat, maybe his hands moving, maybe his sigh.

_Take care of Naruto…_

Sakura remembered the trembling voice of Sasuke. He was in pain. He was dying.

That's all he had ever requested of her.

Sakura opened her eyes seeing darkness.

No stars no more, no glowing light from the outerspace.

Only a shadow in the darkness.

_Sasuke…_

Why was she hurting inside. Why was she in pain. Why was she suffering after so long. Why did she let all those memories and imaginations take over her.

Why didn't she finally wake up from this dream.

_Sasuke…_

She wanted to shout his name. Call him back from the dead. Persuade herself and everyone else that he was still alive. That he had never died in her arms.

The stars appeared again.

Sakura felt lighter, her neck was numb as her head was hanging backwards.

She tried to move her wings but they were frozen. She tried to breathe but there was no air. She tried to shout, but the silence drowned all sounds.

"Sakura!" Turo shook her awake from her daydreaming.

Sakura flinched trying to calculate the time she was _off_.

She felt dizzy, her mind still traveling in another universe.

Turo was standing next to her looking bemused.

"Hey, you scared me for a while! Are you alright?"

Sakura wasn't sure if she was still dreaming or this was real.

She noticed a movement behind Turo-san and noticed Kakashi-sensei.

She sighed in relief and moved her head to shove off the strands falling in her eyes.

"I-I'm fine."

Turo seemed hesitant for a moment and walked up to Yamato and Kakashi who were sitting by a new emerged fire.

Sakura heard squeaks nearby and noticed little shadows disappearing in tree holes.

She sat next to Yamato and noticed their serious looks.

"We should review our strategy before reaching the Village of the Blue Tree." Kakashi-sensei started staring at the fire frowning.

Yamato nodded.

"Madara Uchiha is already aware of us coming, so there'll be traps. He will probably try to scare us. Send shinobi, and so weakening us. I don't want us to separate, so do not leave the spot. We'll stick together, we'll have more chances when we're as one. So if we end up in a fight, Turo and myself will take care of it, while you, Tenzo, you'll assist when necessary."

"Will we search for the thunder kunoichi first? The one who knew Kuroi?" Yamato asked wearing his professional face.

Sakura noticed a glance of Kakashi at Yamato.

"Yes, we must gather as much information as we can before facing them."

"Won't they be expecting us to?" Turo wondered rubbing the little beard on his chin.

"We know that they'll be expecting, so we'll act as the circumstances let us to."

They fell silent for a moment.

Sakura felt awkward. Was this how ANBU missions were like, she wondered. She wanted to be of use. Clearly Kakashi-sensei wanted to protect her so he kept her out of their different movements.

She felt irritated, but understood the difficulty as well. She was the medic ninja of this mission. She would surely be of use, if they were to face Madara, but she wished that she could make the situation easier, for Kakashi, but for Yamato and Turo as well.

So, she decided to tell them of the plan she had been working on during their running trip.

"May I speak?" she asked, feeling silly to need their approval to.

The three shinobi turned to look at her.

Sakura avoided their stares at first, but then grew confident as she spoke.

They were listening intensively. Even Turo had stopped gazing at the fire. Kakashi's visible eye didn't blink once as he was looking at his student. Yamato was nodding every time he approved of one of Sakura's proposes or liked an idea of hers.

She talked for a quarter of an hour when she fell silent, observing her teammates' faces.

She stopped at Kakashi who was looking at her with an expressionless eye.

"Hmm, it's a good idea in general, but I find it hard to trust this friend of yours. Shouldn't we avoid bringing new people in the plan, it could turn like a boomerang. I mean you only know her for…!"

"Two years. The two worst years in my life. She has helped me when no one else was around. I trust her. She'll have as much benefit in the success of this mission as we will have." Sakura interrupted Turo, her voice steady, but not too loud.

"Are you sure though?" Yamato asked frowning, like he wanted to believe they could trust _her_, but his instinct told him otherwise.

Kakashi moved and stretched his feet leaning on a rock behind him.

His serious face turned to his casual bored one.

"Do you trust Sakura?" he asked looking at Yamato and then at Turo.

Turo and Yamato exchanged looks. Both hesitating to make the final decision.

Kakashi folded his arms behind his head and stared at the fire in front of him.

Sakura caught herself observing her sensei's cloth again, if there was any hint of movement.

"We can agree to let her in the team, without sharing all our information. What do you say, Sakura?"

Sakura looked into Kakashi's eye.

His steady gaze was observing her.

She felt a chill running down her spine.

She smiled and nodded.

"It's perfect with me." She said.

Kakashi grinned as Sakura could see every time his eye closed and the cloth twitched slightly.

Before the sun even rose, the team was on the run, only two days till they reached the Village of the Blue Tree.

Sakura had sent, just before they leave, an owl with a message, which would look after the friend she trusted to help them with their mission. Although Yamato and Turo weren't completely convinced, Kakashi had managed to talk some sense into them.

Sakura felt finally an equal between the three ANBU ninjas, and having Kakashi's approval in her plan made her feel too happy for the present circumstances.

As the owl soared through the trees, Sakura crossed her fingers, hoping the message would soon reach her friend's hands.

____________

While on the other side of the Fire Country, in the Land of Thunder, Naruto was running through the woods wearing a broad smile.

"What's wrong?" Shizune wondered frowning trying to keep up with the happy, blonde jonin.

"Aha, nothing's wrong! Not right now at least, 'cause right now eeeeverything's perfect!" he said loudly, making sure Neji and Shikamaru could hear him as well.

Shizune hated seeing him so energetic when they were running towards a possible trap. Sometimes she wondered what on earth Tsunade and the Elders were thinking when they promoted Naruto into a jonin.

Shizune turned her head slightly watching Neji discussing with one of the sand shinobi the Kazekage had sent along with them. Neji didn't seem to enjoy the conversation, compared to the sand shinobi.

Suddenly Shizune heard a sound coming from the woods on her left.

She tried to distinguish the sound and grew cautious. They were a day ahead of the Village Hidden in the Clouds. Many weird ninjas were hanging around these dark woods.

Fortunately, Shizune saw Temari's fan before she attacked.

The sand kunoichi had received the Kazekage's message and was assigned as one of the sand team.

She was a powerful kunoichi, although Shizune had never actually seen her fight. Tsunade trusted her, but… Tsunade trusted many people Shizune didn't approve. Like _him_.

She checked on Naruto with the corner of her eye, daydreaming as he was running.

She sighed feeling helpless.

Tsunade made the worst decision once more. Sakura should be attending this team, not her. How could she control this stupid, hormone-crazy boy. She would have a serious talk about it with Tsunade. She did many reckless things lately. Like leaving all of a sudden to search for Sakura, while Madara Uchiha and his dangerous accomplice were on the move. What could have happened if Kakashi hadn't found her on time.

Anything. And Tsunade didn't care.

Tsunade is strong. She could have made it through a possible attack of Madara. But still, she acted too recklessly.

Shizune always worries too much and she knew that. Tsunade was a lot alike with Naruto on this part. They would make an entire scene just to make their point clear, but in the end they would fight like no one else can.

Shizune could sense something that was not normal. Something in the air made her anxious. Something's wrong.

"Stop!" she hissed. They all halted, though Naruto was already a few feet ahead of them.

"Hey! What is it, guys?" he shouted folding his arms behind his head. The Konoha badge flashed on his forehead.

Shizune had her eyes fixed on a shadow she had just noticed behind Naruto. She saw with the corner of her eye Shikamaru standing next to her. The tall jonin frowned and moved his hands.

"I saw him!" he whispered to her.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu!" Shikamaru shouted and a shadow ribbon flew from his own shadow past Naruto towards the bush behind him.

"Hey!" Naruto complained and jumped.

The bush behind him moved and a figure jumped rapidly in the air.

Shizune couldn't make out anything of this stranger. He was too fast.

Shikamaru grunted as he kept his hands placed together and forced his shadow to get a grip on the fast stranger.

At this moment Temari jumped on a branch and drew her fan out, which let a high pitched sound echo in the forest.

The huge fan had three purple circles colored on it. Temari hold it in front of her and then threw it towards the woods and signaled automatically with her hands.

"Iron Style Boomerang Jutsu!" she shouted and the fan glowed with a dim blue light as her chakra took control over it.

Shizune couldn't see Temari's fan nowhere, as it vanished through the woods. But the sand kunoichi looked rather satisfied.

Shizune could only hear the high pitched sound of the fan as it flew on itself in the dark woods.

It was a few moments later when Temari stood up straight, keeping her hands in a signal.

"NARA, NOW!" she shouted.

Shikamaru grunted and smiled as he forced his shadow towards Temari.

A figure was running fast towards her while he was too busy minding the huge iron fan that was about to slice him to pieces.

"Ha!" Shikamaru laughed next to Shizune.

Shizune turned to see a young man, dressed in a black cloak and dreadlocks covering his face, standing frozen in front of Temari.

Temari released her jutsu and the fan floated towards her open hand.

She smiled and observed the stranger.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked the stranger.

Naruto jumped on the branch standing behind the shinobi, his arms on his hips as he looked rather annoyed.

"Yeah, who the hell are you?" he shouted.

Temari shot him a killer glance, holding her fan tight, just in case.

Shizune noticed Shikamaru looking tired.

"Are you alright? Can you hold up?" she whispered to him.

He didn't move his eyes off the stranger and smiled hardly.

"I can. No worries!" he replied calmly.

Shizune looked up at Temari.

She had approached the shinobi and slowly shoved off the hair in front of his face. He had an angular face, his eyes terrified staring at Temari. Temari was smiling satisfyingly.

"Tell me your name and maybe we'll let you go." She said harshly.

The stranger mumbled something Shizune couldn't understand. Temari didn't seem to have heard either as she slapped him on the face.

"What are you saying, you tramp?" she shouted at him.

Shizune felt quite scared of what she might do next. She acted too harshly.

"I-I'm Iwao! P-please don' hurt me! Please! I-I wasn' going to attack, no! I was sent t-to spy on you."

"Who sent you?" Temari demanded.

Iwao shut his eyes like Temari's voice was piercing through his ears.

"I-I…!"

"Who was it? Who sent you?" Temari shouted.

Shizune grew furious and jumped on the tree branch landing smoothly next to the sand kunoichi.

"Stop it!" she ordered her and looked at Iwao.

She didn't feel sorry for him, but she didn't approve of Temari's way of persuasion. She was too harsh and it was obvious that this man was only a toy of a much more dangerous shinobi.

"Tell us who sent you, please." Shizune said sounding calmer than Temari.

Shizune heard Temari grunt next to her.

Iwao looked at Shizune and moved his lips, but no words came out. He made another try and tried to move his hands, but Shikamaru's jutsu was too strong for him.

Shizune turned to look down at Shikamaru.

"Please, don't be that harsh."

Shikamaru didn't lose eye contact with Iwao and obeyed at Shizune's order.

The amount of chakra appropriate to keep the man restrained was decreased, and Shizune could see relief in Iwao's face. But he was still under Shikamaru's influence.

"Now, tell us." Shizune insisted.

Iwao looked at her.

He mumbled first, before speaking.

"H-He doesn' like Leaf ninjas. Especially not together with sand ninjas. Too much o-of a threat he said."

Shizune approached him a little, causing him to flinch.

"Who? Tell me his name." she whispered sounding more threatening than she intended to.

Iwao stared at her like a terrified mouse.

"I-Ichirou!" Iwao cried and looked at the branch beneath his feet.

Shizune exchanged a look with Temari. She shook her head, not knowing who this Ichirou was.

Shizune knew that they would be running to a trap if they acted recklessly. She thought of a plan and looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, send some copies of you forward. Tell them to watch out for any traps. You two," she turned to the two sand shinobis "keep him under your watch, do not let him free."

They obeyed and jumped immediately on the tree branch and tied Iwao, while Shikamaru released his jutsu. The jonin sighed and rubbed the muscles on his arms.

"We must be extra cautious. I guess this Ichirou is a thunder shinobi. They're strange people, and tough ones as well. Neji-san, you lead and scan the vicinity and Naruto will follow. Temari-san, Shikamaru-san you stay on each side. Have your eyes wide open. I have a bad feeling about this."

Shikamaru nodded and turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, listen to me. Make a team look exactly like as and let them in the front. I suggest we move to the west and approach the Village of the Thousand Ghosts from the hills. Hopefully we'll avoid trouble. We shouldn't risk going on a fight." He said calmly.

"Yap, right away!" Naruto said and signaling in a second he created eight Shadow Clones, a copy of each one of them.

Naruto waved at his own Shadow Clone and smiled broadly.

"Let's go then." Shikamaru ordered and the one team, with Iwao prisoner, disappeared to the west, while the other team of disguised Shadow Clones moved forward in the darkness of the woods of the Thousand Ghosts.

____________

Kakashi was scanning calmly the woods around him, as the sunrays tried to make it through the dense leaves of the trees. The air was humid, but warm. In a normal day –when he ever had one- he would so much enjoy a nap on a tree branch after reading the final chapter of the latest novel of the _Icha Icha_ series. Jiraya had a breathtaking imagination and the latest book was the best of all. He couldn't wait to finally find out what happens with Kenji and Kamoko, the main characters of the book.

After so many days he had finally found a distraction from the pink haired kunoichi following him. But he rarely had time to read, while they were always on the run.

Kakashi sighed silently remembering Sakura's plan. He liked it a lot and he felt ridiculous for not having thought of something like that himself.

She has grown, he thought and smiled under the cloth.

She thinks even more ahead than the Nara kid. He felt all the luck of the world on his side, as he _was _her sensei.

She's such a wonderful person, not only from the outside –Kakashi caught himself thinking of Sakura's fit figure-, but also from the inside. She was always a compassionate person, who would do anything for her beloved ones, but the time she had left just to become even stronger proved that she cared more about the others, than herself. That made her look like a queen in Kakashi's eyes. He, who years ago would rather complete a mission and be considered a respectful and successful shinobi, than fail for the sake of his teammates.

He is different now, but still Sakura had made the biggest improvement of his three students. From a know-it-all little girl, who had no clue of ninjutsu or genjutsu, she turned out to be a great kunoichi. The best of her generation.

"Kakashi-senpai!" Kakashi heard Tenzo's voice shout.

He turned around and saw the man looking towards the woods to his left.

They all stopped.

"What is it?" he asked in a low tone.

"Didn't you see it?" Tenzo wondered frowning.

"What?" Turo asked coming closer.

Kakashi sensed something. It smelled like…a wet cat?

He drew four shurinken out of his bag, which hung on a belt around his trousers, and threw them to the woods, from where the weird smell came from.

"Tenzo!" Kakashi ordered.

Tenzo nodded and kneeled. He closed his eyes and signaled a quick jutsu.

"Wood Doppelganger Jutsu!" shouted Yamato and in a second a wooden mass flew out of his right arm and fell on the tree branch like thick honey. The mass started forming into a human form. Tenzo had his eyes fixed towards the direction Kakashi had thrown the shurinken.

The wooden form stood up next to Tenzo and there stood a wood clone of Tenzo.

"Go find out who hides beyond these woods." Tenzo whispered to his wood clone, which obeyed and disappeared with a jump to that direction.

Sakura and Turo drew out their kunais.

"How many are there?" Tenzo asked.

Kakashi tried to sense any kind of chakra from that direction. There were multiple ones, but they were too far away to distinguish a specific number.

But then he heard a moving sound behind them and he jumped to avoid a shurinken that was aiming the back of his head.

Turo grunted noticing late of the attack.

Kakashi landed on a higher branch and he lifted his Konoha badge opening his Sharingan.

Suddenly his vision was multiplied. He could see every shadow, every corner clearer, while he was consuming a small, but steady amount of chakra.

He could see the attacker. It was one man, about to throw more weapons.

Kakashi, keeping his head clean of any other thought, signaled his hands.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted and next to him, behind a cloud of smoke appeared a copy of him. The shadow clone had also his Sharingan active and he ran towards the attacker, together with the real Kakashi.

He drew his kunai out and, turning behind a tree, he attacked the stranger, while the shadow clone surprised him from the other side.

The stranger was quick and acted rapidly counterattacking Kakashi's and the shadow clone's attack.

The shinobi was a sound ninja, wearing his badge around his waist. His long black hair were tied in a ponytail, while many beads were hanging around his neck.

The sound ninja smirked and jumped upwards disappearing in the open sky.

Kakashi and the shadow clone followed and suddenly Kakashi sensed more enemies, who were attacking his teammates.

He grunted, but managed to stay calm.

He let his shadow clone deal with the sound shinobi, as he soared through the trees to assist his team, but he lost his orientation for a long moment, as the sound shinobi managed to catch up with him and kick him on his back.

Kakashi focused his chakra on his feet and kicked him back. The shinobi stopped the attack with his own leg and was about to catch him from the back, but Kakashi, the last minute, knocked him out by hitting his head. The sound ninja smiled, when a piece of wood appeared in his place.

Kakashi saw the real one disappearing behind him through the trees.

He wanted to punch himself for not seeing the fake ninja and followed him.

He spotted him on a tree branch and jumped in front of him, his fists tight.

He noticed with the corner of his normal eye, Tenzo fighting another sound shinobi dressed in a bright yellow cloak. He looked for Sakura. She was standing a few feet behind Tenzo with Turo by her side.

His opponent was about to signal, but he paused when Kakashi's shadow clone reappeared behind him, his arms locked around the shocked sound shinobi's neck.

Kakashi signaled quickly with his hands.

"Chidori!"

Kakashi grabbed his right hand with the left and a huge wave of chakra made it lighten as thunders were slashing everything around it. The blue light radiating from the hand, made Kakashi feel warm and extraordinarily powerful.

He jumped with a fantastic velocity aiming his thunder striking hand towards the confused sound shinobi.

He made Kakashi's shadow clone disappear behind a cloud of smoke as he hit him with his elbow, but, at the same time, a third shadow clone burst out from the tree branch beneath the sound shinobi and grabbed the sound shinobi's ankle. The latter looked around astonished, fear all over his face.

The man only screamed as the Chidori ripped him open.

Kakashi didn't feel a thing as his hand drilled through human flesh and the blood splattered around him. The shadow clone, half hidden in the tree branch, stood motionless, like the real Kakashi, and restrained the chakra flow, until the thunders stopped and his hand was back to normal.

He felt an extreme numbness from his right elbow and below, but didn't mind. The shadow clone disappeared leaving smoke behind.

Kakashi didn't look back at the destroyed body of the sound ninja, but focused on the other attacker. They were two and both fighting Tenzo.

The sound shinobi stopped and looked shocked at their former teammate ripped to pieces behind Kakashi.

Kakashi had his eyes fixed on their terrified looks. He didn't smile, he didn't smirk, he didn't show any emotion at all. This is how he acted in a fight. Letting emotions show made you vulnerable. The opponent must never know what you're thinking.

"The Copy Ninja!" one of the sound ninjas said, with a slight tone of admiration and awe.

The other sound shinobi with the yellow cloak was staring back at Tenzo and his wood clone. He seemed like calculating his chances. It was clear they would be defeated if they continued with the battle. Kakashi could easily see fear forming in his eyes.

His Sharingan helped him sense their chakra. He would be able to sense them again if they fled. But he had no intension to let them leave like nothing happened.

"Who sent you?" he asked calmly, no sound of anger in his voice.

The two sound shinobi looked at him. The yellow-cloaked one stared back to his rest opponents. Tenzo's wood clone moved making the sound shinobi flinch.

"A woman, she paid us to find you and fight you." The other one said, his voice trembling slightly.

Kakashi noticed suddenly that he was wearing a thunder badge, while the yellow-cloaked one had a sound badge around his forehead.

"A thunder kunoichi, was it?" he asked.

His Sharingan noticed a flinch from Sakura's part. He tried to avoid it.

The thunder shinobi nodded. He had also noticed Sakura's movement. She had walked up to Tenzo and his wood clone. Turo was about to follow, but he noticed Kakashi's glance and froze where he was.

Kakashi observed Sakura, far away from him, on another tree branch approaching the two strangers.

She stood straight up, next to the wood clone and she signaled a complicated jutsu. She didn't blink once as she was staring once at the thunder shinobi and then at the sound shinobi.

Kakashi felt afraid for a minute, but observing the signals she made, could notice she was forming a genjutsu.

"Memory Retrieval Jutsu!" she said calmly and her hands stopped forming a triangle with all of her fingers.

The two shinobi froze staring at the nothingness. Sakura's face tightened as she was fixed on the thunder shinobi who was closer to her. Kakashi noticed the shinobi open his mouth, like he was about to scream, but no sound was echoed.

His Sharingan could only see a mist forming around the two shinobi. It was coming from Sakura's hand signal. Like smoke floating above a lit cigarette.

After a whole minute she turned her stare towards the sound shinobi, who was frozen the whole time. Now it was his turn to show pain on his face as Sakura was forcing him into this genjutsu.

His Sharingan was observing Sakura. The chakra flowing from her hands and the steady and threatening look she was wearing. He could sense she was searching their minds. He remembered all the signals she had done and froze, shocked when he realized the use of this genjutsu.

She was trying to find the shinobis' memory of the thunder kunoichi who had sent them to kill them.

Where did she learn that jutsu from, he wondered intensively.

When the minute was over Sakura released her hands and they fell loose on her sides.

Her eyelids were half closed as she was panting.

She had used a lot of chakra and fortunately Turo was there to catch her before she collapsed.

Kakashi jumped on their tree branch and checked on the fainted shinobis, whose minds Sakura had violated.

Tenzo and the wood clone took care of them and tied them around the tree.

Turo was holding Sakura in his arms and Kakashi had an intense urge to push him away and hold her himself. But he restrained himself.

"What did she do?" Turo wondered, looking worried.

Kakashi noticed Sakura was awake, but too dizzy to notice anything than her exhaustion.

"Keep her steady." Kakashi ordered Turo and held his palms above Sakura's torso.

He pushed a specific amount of his chakra towards his palms and a dim green light hummed above his student.

Turo was grabbing her shoulders, so that she wouldn't move.

Kakashi could sense her body reacting to his chakra and noticed her eyelids open slowly.

When she was wide awake and he could feel her strong again he stopped his chakra flow.

The green light faded away and Turo helped her lift herself.

Kakashi stood up and hid his Sharingan with his Konoha badge.

He heard Sakura sigh, but it was too much for him to stay close to her. Letting his chakra flow into her, made him feel too vulnerable to all those feelings which had grown inside of him. Seeing her lying weak in Turo's arms, he wanted to hit his head on a rock and make it think clearly again.

If he was to let his fury out, he would have to make it look like something else. So he walked to the two strangers.

Tenzo and his identical wood clone were standing in front of the fainted men.

"Shall we leave them here?" Tenzo asked.

Kakashi was staring at the lowered head of the yellow-cloaked shinobi and felt fury grow inside of him. Fury for himself for being so vulnerable to control himself while being close to her. He had always control over himself, why did everything fall now to pieces.

She's my student for heaven's sake! he thought.

He felt his heart beating louder than normal.

He was staring at the yellow cloak of the sound shinobi and suddenly had an idea.

**Thank you so much for reading!**


	14. 14Promise

**Ahh, the idea...lol**

**Here it is, hope you like it! I must say I'm proud to be such a fast updater, but as I said, the most of the story was already written!**

**I want to thank you for reading, reviewing , having my story in favorites or alerts, it makes me extremely happy! really!!! :) Arrigato!!!**

**Don't want to keep you waiting, here's the next chapter and always HAVE FUN!!!**

Kakashi and his shadow clone were walking through dark, narrow alleys away from the main street which was buzzing with people. The sky was clouded and it seemed about to rain. The humidity pierced their bones as they made their way to a small dark door covered in mold.

Kakashi opened the door slowly and cautiously examined the inside. He needed a few moments to distinguish the details, as a melted candle was the only source of light in this dark room. No windows, no furniture, but there stood a shadow, leaning on the far wall.

Kakashi kept himself calm, though he could sense the shadow clone wasn't that comfortable.

Turo, tied in the shadow clone's arms grunted as the latter threw the Leaf shinobi on the ground in front of the shadow.

Kakashi shut the door behind him and could finally see the woman standing in front of him.

She was a rather attractive woman. Short pitch black hair surrounded her sweet round face and her lips were covered with a red shiny lipstick. She was wearing little clothes, but a dark cloak hid all her curves. She was staring with a satisfied, but mysterious way at Kakashi and the shadow clone. She only glanced once at Turo.

The woman chuckled and focused on Kakashi.

Kakashi tried to smile, but look guilty as well.

The woman approached him, while her hand was playing with her hair.

"I thought there was supposed to be a whole team." She said with her girly voice.

The shadow clone looked at Kakashi and Kakashi looked serious at the woman as he spoke.

"There were four of them, but they got away." He told her. He wasn't used to his voice sounding so high. And it was too strange for him to be seeing with two eyes normally. He actually missed his Sharingan, but the worst part was the absence of his mask. He almost felt naked.

The woman continued playing with her hair as she examined Turo. Turo was looking at her furious, grunting with pain as the shadow clone kicked him in the ribs.

"They'll find you!" Turo growled trying to stand on his knees. The shadow clone was holding his wrists tight.

The woman smiled widely and turned to look at Kakashi and the shadow clone.

"What about your pal?"

Kakashi turned his gaze to the wet ground.

"They killed him. The Copy Ninja was with them." Kakashi said. His voice was trembling slightly.

The shadow clone was staring at him.

The woman chuckled.

"Hmm, the Copy Ninja from the Village Hidden in the Leaves! So, he _is_ in that team indeed!" she said looking around the room and swirling around herself. The cloak danced with her, until she stopped to look at Kakashi.

Kakashi was shocked to see that the woman had suddenly pale eyes. There were no pupils visible, and Kakashi thought for a second her eyes had turned around in their sockets. But then he realized that she had the Byakugan. The extraordinary eyes the Hyuga clan possessed. Eyes that belonged only to them, as they were part of their genes.

Kakashi couldn't help but gasp.

He sensed his shadow clone next to him stand frozen.

"I see a weird amount of chakra in you, my friends. My accomplices didn't look like that, no. No, they didn't! You look like a cloud of chakra surrounds you. YOU BASTARDS!" she screamed and Kakashi felt stings pierce him all over his body.

He heard puffs! next to him and saw that he was standing alone in the dark room with the woman with the Byakugan.

"You thought you'd fool me, Hatake Kakashi! You make me laugh!" she laughed loud swirling around herself once more.

Kakashi couldn't move. He saw thin, transparent strings tightening his body and it ached as hell as they cut through his flesh.

Kakashi grunted and tried with his hand to grab his kunai from beneath his cloak, but the strings were too tight.

His decoy had failed. Fortunately he had used disguised shadow clones and thanked himself for not letting the real Turo coming with him, or else he'd be dead.

"So, tell me Kakashi!" the thunder kunoichi approached him and he saw her face almost touching his.

Her eyes were piercing through his and he so wished to have his Sharingan back, but these strings were draining his power. They were strings made of chakra.

"Did you kill _all _of my accomplices?" she asked slowly touching his ear with her lips. Kakashi felt the sticky lipstick and wanted to cut her throat.

He didn't answer, when she looked him back in the eyes and smiled at him.

"Oh, I so want to see you as you are! I always hated this yellow cloak! Ikaru never had a good taste in fashion!" she joked and with a flick of her forefinger the chakra strings returned to her hand.

Kakashi gasped for air and rubbed his arms, which were bleeding. The strings had cut him all over his arms and his torso.

He felt dizzy for a moment, but stood up straight not wanting to give this freaking woman the pleasure of seeing him in pain.

The woman smirked and put her hands on her hips.

'So? Show me the real you. I bet you hate it not having this famous Sharingan of yours!" she laughed.

Kakashi tried to find his strength in order to destroy her. He knew she was not alone here. There would be a trap, but he couldn't sense it. He needed time, so he decided to change into his real self. Then he would have the opportunity to activate his Sharingan and see the danger that was definitely surrounding him.

Kakashi looked at her and placed his hands in front of him vertically.

A cloud of smoke surrounded him and he felt himself again. The yellow cloak was on his feet, while he was wearing his usual clothes. He felt much more comfortable having his mask around his face.

The woman smiled satisfied and approached him a little.

"Ah! I like it better that way!" she said passionately.

She stepped back again and laughed.

Kakashi was about to reveal his Sharingan when she looked totally serious at him and jumped upwards.

Kakashi heard the roof shudder and broken pieces of wood fell on him.

He avoided them and tried to follow the thunder kunoichi.

He felt his one normal eye ache as he was blinded by the light of the day. After a few seconds he noticed that it was rather dark, being midday. Dark grey clouds covered the sky up to the horizon.

He stood on the roof, observing the direction the kunoichi had taken.

But she had disappeared. There was no sign of her.

He immediately thought of his teammates and run towards the woods to the west of the Village of the Blue Tree. He hoped with all his might that the thunder kunoichi hadn't found them.

_Sakura…_

_____________

Turo and Yamato were standing in front of Sakura in a clearing in the forest. The dark sky had just let its first raindrops fall.

Sakura wiped one of them away as it had fallen on her cheek. She was observing the three shinobi standing in front of them. All wearing a threatening smile on their faces.

Sakura couldn't stop thinking of Kakashi-sensei. He had been gone for half an hour and they still had no sign of him. These three ninjas were definitely working for the thunder kunoichi Sakura had seen in the first two shinobis' minds who had attacked them two days ago.

She had felt fear, when she saw the black-dressed woman with the smirk on her face in the shinobis minds.

But she felt even more scared about Kakashi. Where was he.

"You knew that you would only find trouble here!" one of the three thunder shinobi growled. His thunder badge tied around his forehead, while green strands were falling on his face.

Turo tightened his fists, while Yamato was standing calm next to him.

Sakura moved so that she could stand next to Yamato. If they all three were to attack she would have to fight as well.

"Sakura-chan! Don't!" Yamato hissed silently to her.

Sakura didn't let the three shinobi out of her sight.

"Don't underestimate me." She said calmly.

Yamato looked surprised with her tone. She sounded too calm.

Yamato turned to look at his own opponent, a thin, tall man with a red beard and bold head. His huge red eyebrows hid his small eyes.

"Ah, so the girl will fight as well!" he said and he slapped the green haired one on his forearm and exchanged places with him. He was smiling satisfyingly as he looked at Sakura.

"Ha! There's no way turning back, little girl. You're mine!" he growled.

Sakura tried to keep her face relaxed. She didn't fear him. He was like so many shinobi she's fought. Cocky and arrogant. Too much of a talker.

Let's see what you're _really_ capable of, she thought.

Sakura sensed Yamato's stare. He looked worried.

Sakura nodded looking serious in his eyes.

"I can handle it. I'll let you know if I can't. I promise." She whispered to him, so that no one else could hear her.

Yamato kept his eyes fixed on her and smiled lightly. Sakura felt courage filling her and smiled back.

The third thunder shinobi, who had his entire body covered in bandages, attacked Turo. Sakura noticed the last minute that the other two were in the air as well.

Sakura focused on the red bearded one and drew a kunai with each hand out.

The thunder shinobi had fallen with great force on her and it shocked her for a moment, but she managed to hold him in a distance from her with her kunais.

She gasped when she noticed he was holding the kunais with his bare hands around the sharp blade. But she could see no blood.

She grunted as she forced her chakra on her legs and jumped in the air, not letting her grip from her kunais, and flying in the air she kicked the thunder shinobi on his back. At that moment she let hold of her kunais and landed on her knee on the wet grass.

She felt another raindrop on her shoulder.

She turned quickly and saw her opponent on his knees a few feet away. Already trying to stand up.

Sakura stood up as well and thought of this red bearded shinobi.

He didn't bleed, when he grabbed my kunais, and he can stand up, even after a kick like that. He probably uses his chakra as a shield around his body. She frowned.

With the corner of her eye she noticed branches coming out from Yamato's hands and aiming the green haired shinobi, while Turo was fighting using pure taijutsu with the third thunder shinobi.

She looked back at the red bearded one and he was smirking at her. He looked like nothing had happened to him.

"That was a good kick, I must admit that! For a little girl like you!"

Sakura had to find out more about his fighting style before actually attacking him, so she decided to use the special technique she had invented on her own. A technique that could help her understand her opponent better- whether he is a close combat type or a distant one, and whether he is best in ninjutsu, genjutsu or taijutsu.

Sakura could see him running at her. She calmed herself and let her mind loose itself in a small amount of chakra which took control over it. Her hands were almost moving by themselves, as she had used this technique so many times. It was a complicated signal, but her mind remembered it, like she remembered riding a bicycle.

She opened her eyes and, with her fingers combined together, she looked straight into her opponent's eyes. He was already quite close to her and she had completed her jutsu on time.

"Mind Battle Simulation Jutsu!" she shouted and suddenly the clouded sky, the woods and everything around them disappeared.

They were placed in a room lit with electric blue lights making everything look alien like.

The red bearded shinobi froze with this sudden alternative scene and was looking around himself perplexed. After a few minutes he stopped at Sakura.

"What genjutsu is that?" he asked. He tried to sound controlled, but Sakura could easily distinguish the confusion on his face. His eyes weren't focusing on something specific, not that there was something to else to focus on except Sakura or the blue lights.

Sakura let her arms fall on her sides and approached quickly her opponent, but tried not to look hasty. The only flaw in this genjutsu was the time limit. Sakura had only two minutes time to find out her opponents type, before reaching a too high consumption of chakra, which could prove fatal to her. For creating this, she fortunately needed as big an amount of chakra as needed for the Transformation Technique. But the genjutsu techniques were always trickier, as they demanded mind control and chakra control.

If you couldn't control your feelings, it could hurt yourself as well.

Sakura was about to slash the thunder shinobi with a kunai, but he bent just in time and fought her using complex taijutsu. Sakura was able to fight back. That proved that he was rather good in taijutsu, and definitely a close combat type.

Sakura jumped backwards, keeping a safe distance from him and fell on one knee signaling with her hands.

"Hydro Blast Jutsu!" she shouted decisively.

The thunder shinobi looked amazed at the lake that was forming out of nowhere in front of his feet and, in a sudden, a swirling mass of water rose in the air and aimed for the shinobi.

He grunted, as the swirling water shining like a sapphire snake, growled like a beast as it was about to crush him to pieces.

Sakura noticed hardly, behind her creation, the thunder shinobi signaling quickly.

Then, a second before the swirling water crushed him, a wooden shield had rose above him. The sapphire snake crushed instead on the wooden shield and flooded the blue room.

The amount of water was so much that the water reached Sakura to her stomach, but the force of it didn't do her anything. She stood still like she was standing under a slight breeze.

She noticed the wooden shield retrieve and the thunder shinobi splashing out of the water. The water only reached him to his hips.

He was panting and staring at Sakura.

He smiled and pointed his forefinger at her.

"I underestimated you, girl. But now I won't keep myself restrained!" he chuckled, his voice sounded like a growl.

Sakura could already feel a burden on her mind. Like her head was about to explode. She had little time left. Only a few seconds, she thought intensively.

She jumped out of the water and forcing little chakra on her feet, landed on the surface and then run to her opponent.

He jumped out of the water as well and waited for her attack smirking.

Sakura sensed danger and saw wooden snakes emerge from under the water beneath her feet. She avoided them and jumped in the air and kicked the red-bearded man in his face.

He smirked again looking back at her, not feeling a thing.

Sakura threw four kunais in the air aiming the ceiling of the blue room and then tightened her arms around the thunder shinobi's neck. She tightened more as he was still smirking.

"You can't hurt me, bitch!" he growled.

Sakura approached his ear with her lips.

"Really?" she whispered and then she heard him gasp.

The kunais she had sent in the air were tied with chakra strings. She had managed to tie him while they were fighting. The chakra strings hissed as they touched his skin and he yelled swearing.

Sakura let go of her grip and turned to see him in the face.

"This is your weakness!" she said calmly watching him cry with pain, as the chakra strings had burned a piece of wooden armor that was hidden beneath his clothes. The wooden armor was feeding him with extra chakra and kept him from hurting. She wondered how he could manage to be so flexible in taijutsu while wearing this thing, but she had no time anymore to find out.

She took a last glimpse on the tormented look of the thunder shinobi and signaled her hands forming the last signal of her genjutsu.

She shut her eyes and let herself loose, releasing the Mind Battle Simulation technique.

She felt a chilly breeze surrounding her, but didn't notice the rain as she was already wet.

She opened her eyes and noticed her opponent standing in front of her like he was frozen.

He blinked his eyes a hundred times, panting.

Sakura took the advantage of this time to see what had happened with Yamato and Turo.

"SAKURA!" she heard the terrified voice of Yamato-sensei.

She needed a second to spot him on a top of a tree, at the other end of the clearing.

Turo was nowhere to be found.

"I'm alright!" she shouted back.

She was about to ask about Turo and if there was no sign of Kakashi, but the thunder shinobi was already wide awake about to punch her in the face. She counterattacked it with her legs and swirled around him.

She knew now, that as much she would hit him, he wouldn't feel a thing. The good thing with her technique was that the opponent never really remembered of these two minutes, so that gave Sakura a great advantage.

She tried to keep a distance and thought of a way of revealing this wooden armor of his and burning it.

If Sasuke was here, he would easily use his Fire Whirlwind and burn him to ashes, but my Water element jutsus will have no effect on him.

She had just made a huge mistake. She had thought of Sasuke. His face popped up in her mind and distracted her for a second. The thunder shinobi managed a kick on her face.

Sakura felt the world turning rapidly around and fell on the wet grass. She felt the rain caressing her skin and she had the deepest desire to cry.

_Sasuke…_

She balanced on her elbows and spit blood. She grunted with her recklessness.

"What? Are you too weak, bitch?" she heard the thunder shinobi shout at her.

She could hear him approach her.

She stood up, but felt too dizzy.

She was about to look at him but felt something break her ribs.

She fell back down on the ground, now the rain falling on her face making her sight blurry.

She grunted. He had kicked her on her side and she felt difficulty breathing.

How stupid, she thought. Stupid me!

She turned to stand up and, even though she hurt like she had a sword pierced into her lung she had to stand up. She was the medical ninja of this mission. Everyone depended on her. She had to correct her mistake.

The red bearded man smirked as he watched her move in pain.

Sakura slid her hand beneath her blouse, and send a small amount of chakra towards it so that she could heal her fractured rib. Although it was a complicated procedure, she had to fix it somehow so that she could move again. Fortunately her red blouse hid the dim green light and the rain had become too heavy for her opponent to notice the humming of her chakra.

"I'll kill you little…!"

Sakura felt the air flowing easier through her lung and looked up at the thunder shinobi.

"Don't underestimate me!" she hissed and drew two kunais out of her bag and stabbed the red bearded man on his shoulders as he was about to fall on her with all his might.

He looked shocked at her and there was a clicking sound.

Sakura pushed him away from her and noticed his clothes move. She remembered how his wooden armor was tied with chains at his shoulders, connecting the front part with the back part and, after storing chakra in her kunais, cut them loose.

The wooden armor slid from beneath his clothes and he looked at her furious.

His eyes had totally disappeared under his thick red eyebrows.

"You bitch!" he shouted and signaled with his hands.

Wood element, she thought and jumped high feeling the raindrops fall like little stings on her skin.

"Wood Prison Jutsu!" the red bearded man shouted and hundreds of wooden branches burst out of the earth aiming Sakura.

Sakura had nowhere to go as the wooden branches had surrounded her. She looked up and noticed the branches about to connect and imprison her. She frowned and focused a big amount of chakra in her right leg. Using the raindrops in the dark atmosphere as a source of power, she used the force and kicked with all her might on one of the branches and cracked it into two pieces.

A new branch emerged and hit Sakura on her back. She felt excruciating pain and gasped. Her lung was stinging again.

She was falling to the ground. She was losing her conscience and tried to think of a way to save herself, but thinking ached as well.

The air was too cold and her right lung stabbed every time she tried to breathe. Stupid me!

The ground was too close. She tried to focus her chakra on her hands and feet, but then she felt like a rock had crushed her. She needed a few moments to trust herself to open her eyes again.

The rain was still falling on her and she felt the wind more intense whooshing through her ears.

She looked up and noticed a face she so longed to see.

Kakashi-sensei was holding her in his arms as they were running.

The thick raindrops were falling on his face and his both eyes staring straight ahead.

Suddenly, after landing on the ground he halted.

Sakura felt another stab in her lung and her hand moved instinctively towards it. She rubbed her ribs and could feel the fracture. She grunted.

Kakashi-sensei shot her a worried glance but turned to the front again.

Sakura followed his gaze and saw the thunder kunoichi she had seen in the two shinobis' minds. She looked more horrid from close. She was smirking. The red bearded shinobi was standing next to her, his eyes fixed on Sakura.

Sakura gasped as she felt Kakashi's hand on her back and then slid under her blouse to her right ribs. She felt the warmth of his hand, although it was not touching her, his chakra made her feel strong again. She could barely hear the humming and a strange kind of dizziness took over her.

Keep focused, he's only healing you, she tried to make herself think.

But he was so close to her, healing her, making her feel warm and excited in a way no logical person would feel while standing a few feet away from two opponents.

Sakura could feel her heart beating faster as the chakra flow from Kakashi got more intense. She could feel her breathing less painful and her ribs moving inside of her.

She wanted to feel like this forever. Being under his protection, where nothing could go wrong.

SAKURA, she heard her inner voice order.

Sakura grunted as she could finally breathe normally. She felt Kakashi's hand slide from under her blouse and she could no longer feel him. She felt the urge of grabbing his hand and put it back on her rib.

She wanted to say something, but her intense feelings didn't make her think clearly. She couldn't risk saying something wrong. And most importantly now was not the perfect time to.

The thunder kunoichi suddenly signaled and thick black clouds formed over her head. The clouds were growling and slowly floated towards Kakashi and Sakura.

Sakura felt strong so she focused on her previous opponent. He was smirking all the time and then he jumped towards her signaling with his hands.

"Wood Release Snake Puppets Jutsu!" he shouted and Sakura saw with the corner of her eye small wooden snakes forming from the ground beneath her feet. She jumped upwards and avoided their bites, leaving Kakashi behind. He was fighting the thunder kunoichi using wind element techniques.

Sakura cleared her mind and focused on her own opponent.

I must not think of Kakashi, she said to herself and signaled with her hands keeping her eyes fixed on the thunder shinobi while avoiding his wooden snakes.

"Hydro Blast Jutsu!" she shouted as she landed on the ground and the rain and the humidity from the earth gathered in front of her feet forming a lake. She knew the shinobi didn't remember of this technique of hers, so she decided to waste no time and act as she did in her Mind Battle Simulation technique.

The water of the lake swirled in the air, this time it was much bigger as the water available in the real world was more. The snake, made of forceful water, disappeared towards the clouds like a hydro-tornado and then, Sakura could hear the loud growling of the water, as it dived from a thousand feet height aiming the thunder shinobi.

The red bearded man, with eyes wide open, reacted as he did in her genjutsu. He had summoned his wooden shield and protected himself beneath it.

Sakura couldn't help but smile.

She didn't lose time and ran towards him past her hydro-tornado and crushed the wooden shield with her chakra-full fist. The thunder shinobi looked at her shocked and she drew her kunai out and cut his face.

He fell on the ground screaming, as his palms hid his bloody face.

Sakura waited till he looked her in the eyes and then she punched him. He collapsed knocked out on the wet grass.

Sakura sighed deeply and felt the world spinning like she was on a rollercoaster. A rollercoaster out of control. She had just acted like she hated acting during battles, like a killing machine. Although she hadn't killed the thunder shinobi, she had just acted having no emotions in her. The way of a ninja she never approved, but had found herself following this way many times ever since…

Stop it!, she ordered herself and turned around to scan her surroundings.

The rain was pouring and it didn't help her look for signs or trails of her teammates.

So she ran away and tried to look for Kakashi, Yamato and Turo.

The raindrops were falling hard splashing when they hit the grass. The breeze was colder and Sakura touched her right rib, right where Kakashi had healed her. He felt so warm against this chilly humidity.

At that moment she noticed a shine coming from her left. It was a thunder. She didn't see any other sign of her teammates so she followed the thunder.

She ran through the dense woods thinking of Kakashi.

Please let him be alright, she thought.

If anything happened to him… she thought of that thunder kunoichi. She was scary and she had this threatening air surrounding her. Everything she witnessed from the memories of these two accomplices of hers, she felt that she was powerful and dangerous.

He can make it, she thought.

Sakura reached a clearing that was covered in light under thunders which had gathered and, as she noticed, Kakashi's Chidori.

They were bumping at each other, Kakashi hitting her with his Chidori, while the thunder kunoichi guided her own thunders towards him.

Sakura stood hidden behind a tree and watched Kakashi.

He was fast, he was flexible. She was not that fast. After a minute, she realized that this thunder kunoichi was a distant combat type. She always avoided Kakashi's close combat moves, by jumping away from him rather than counterattacking him.

Sakura saw that Kakashi had noticed it as well, as he halted on a tree branch and created two shadow clones. Like one, the three Kakashis signaled each differently.

Sakura saw the one Kakashi forming a Chidori holding his right arm, which was creating lightnings, with his left. The middle Kakashi did the same only his palm was upwards with a swirling light ball of chakra floating on it. Sakura immediately recognized the Rasengan. The third Kakashi was holding his hand in front of the cloth that was covering his lower face and a huge mass of fire emerged in the air. The Chidori, the Rasengan and the Fireball all flew towards the thunder kunoichi, who tried to avoid them with her thunders, but she only managed to avoid the Chidori which was suppressed by her own lightning jutsu.

The Rasengan hit her, but she had managed to create a substitution and the real thunder kunoichi appeared from behind of the three Kakashis.

The one fought her back, but she stabbed him with a kunai, leaving smoke behind him and the other two landed on a faraway tree branch.

Sakura wanted to go closer, but she would risk revealing herself and the last thing she wanted was to distract Kakashi.

Sakura didn't really understand what happened next.

She noticed the second shadow clone disappear and the real Kakashi focusing on the thunder kunoichi, who was forming new thunders out from the sky.

The tree on which Sakura was hiding shook under the loud thunder. The echo pierced her ears. It felt like the earth was erupting.

Sakura saw the thunders forming above the kunoichi swirl, like trapped in a whirlwind.

She noticed the woman looking confused.

Kakashi had his normal eye shut, while his Sharingan was fixed on his opponent.

Sakura felt fear inside of her. Like she could sense something really bad was about to happen.

She gasped for air and her legs were moving on their own as she was running back in the trees, towards Kakashi. She didn't care if the thunder kunoichi would notice her. Her instinct warned her. Kakashi was in grave danger.

She was panting, her mind focused on her sensei. She ran as fast as she could, the trees passing by, seeming invisible.

The rain blocked her eyes, but she knew where she was going. She could feel the strange chakra flow from Kakashi flood the area. All the animals in the vicinity had disappeared.

Sakura came closer to the clearing where Kakashi was and halted on a tree branch. She saw him on her right. On a cracked tree branch, with his Sharingan eating the thunder kunoichi's lightnings.

It was the Mangekyo Sharingan he was using.

Sakura felt a chill blocking her thoughts and looked back at Kakashi. He hadn't noticed her and his face looked tense.

Sakura didn't know how to act, without hurting him. She didn't know if she interrupted this technique, what it would do to him.

She felt her hands numb. The soaking wet clothes made her shiver.

_Kakashi…_

She suddenly caught a movement from her left and saw a rain of shurinken flying towards her.

She focused an unspecific amount of chakra on her hands and hit most of them, causing them to fall on the ground. But then she felt stings. She noticed some shurinken pierced in her legs. She flinched and in the last second avoided another wave of shurinken.

That must have woken Kakashi, as he hit some with his own kunai.

The thunder kunoichi laughed loudly and forced a whirlwind of thunders towards them.

Sakura heard Kakashi grunt and the next thing, she saw him kneeling on the tree branch hiding his Sharingan with his palm.

'Kakashi?" Sakura gasped.

He was grunting. He was in pain.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura shouted.

She saw the massive lightning whirlwind approaching in tremendous speed and felt the wind around her warm up.

_I won't let anyone else I care about get hurt. I promised that to myself three years ago. Now is the time to keep that promise._

_This time it's my turn to protect you, Kakashi-sensei. You were there for me when I needed you, now _I'm _here for you._

Sakura frowned staring at the intense light of the thunder whirlwind and signaled quickly.

"Water Style Massive Tsunami Break Jutsu!" she shouted her throat aching, her limbs numb, her legs stinging. But her mind was thinking more clear than ever. She was needed. She was needed by Kakashi.

The rain above her, the water trapped in the earth, the droplets on the trees' and flowers' leaves rose and created a gigantic wave. Sakura could smell the salt in the air, she could feel it behind her as the sky darkened.

The tsunami covered a vast area and ran with the greatest velocity towards Sakura. Sakura grabbed Kakashi the last minute and together they fled from the tsunami's point of attack.

The earth quaked and many trees cracked as the massive wave crushed on the thunder whirlwind and on the thunder kunoichi.

Sakura landed clumsily on a tree branch watching the water of the tsunami flood the ground beneath her. The tree shook slightly.

Sakura leaned on Kakashi instinctively as she felt the shock wave of the tsunami hit her.

She glanced over her shoulder and was rather impressed with the huge lake that had formed in the clearing. There was no sign of the thunder kunoichi. She had a bad feeling though.

She tried to search with her eyes as she stood up. The rain seemed to stop. Sakura wondered if it was due to this jutsu, which demanded a lot of water.

The dark clouds seemed to get thinner, letting finally a few sunrays through. Sakura felt relief and shut her eyes enjoying the warmth of the sun. The last raindrops glowed like diamonds falling from the sky.

Sakura heard a grunt and turned too quickly to see Kakashi. She felt a rush threw her head and was about to collapse, but she leaned on her knees calming herself.

She noticed her sensei opening his normal eye, but then everything was blurry.

She felt great pain in her head and noticed that she was lying on the tree branch on which she had landed with Kakashi. She noticed a pair of black high heels and gasped as she saw the thunder kunoichi standing over her. She was smirking, her cloak ripped to pieces.

"You thought you beat me? You bitch!" she laughed and kicked her in her stomach.

Sakura felt her heart stop and gasped for air. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move.

"I'll finish you off later. I'll deal with your dear sensei, and then it's your turn!" the girly voice chuckled and Sakura heard her heels as she moved towards Kakashi.

"No!" Sakura grunted trying to move.

She felt like something was blocking her airway and she felt her head about to explode.

Her heart was losing its strength.

"K-Kakashi!" she said, her voice too weak, too shaky to be heard.

She saw him leaning on the tree, his eyelid barely open as he was watching her. Sakura felt tears forming blocking her view. She grunted loudly trying to stand up.

She was on her knees and saw white sparks, but she knew it was only her brain's reaction to her standing so quickly up.

She held her stomach trying to suppress the tormenting pain. She felt the stabs as well on her legs and wanted to scream.

_No!_ she ordered herself.

She moved a little on her knees and drew a kunai out. The last one in her bag.

The thunder kunoichi saw her and kicked her in her face.

Sakura collapsed and spit blood, feeling its warmth in her mouth.

_Kakashi's warmth. He saved me. I have to save him._

Sakura saw Kakashi grunting, his face tensed and noticed a twitch under his cloth.

Sakura wiped her tears, noticing blood on her hand as well and looked at Kakashi.

GET UP SAKURA, she tried to force herself not lose consciousness.

"Kakashi!" she whispered.

The thunder kunoichi was kneeling in front of Kakashi.

She signaled and chuckled.

"Chidori!" she said calmly and her hand was surrounded by an intense light.

Sakura heard the thunders and felt a warmth take over her.

"KAKASHI!" she shouted feeling her lungs burn and then darkness drowned her.


	15. 15Injuries

Control and tact used to be the advantages of his character, but watching the one person he so much cared about get beaten in front of him, erased every little sanity was left in him.

Kakashi grunted and he knew that, if the thunder kunoichi touched him with the Chidori, he would be defeated. He knew that now was his chance. He had to depend on his own powers.

The Sharingan is no choice now, he thought.

Hearing her calling his name woke him up from the exhaustion and pain he was feeling. Like he was given an energy potion and was suddenly powerful once more.

The pain echoing in her voice pierced his heart.

He quickly signaled and disappeared inside the tree branch on which he was and, calculating perfectly the spot on which Sakura was lying unconscious, he broke the thick tree branch with his fist. The shattering sound of the thick wood defeaned him for a moment, as he landed beside Sakura. He glanced at the confused thunder kunoichi, the Chidori still thundering in her hand, and grabbed Sakura to flee.

His head swirled madly, but feeling Sakura in his arms brought him relief.

Kakashi looked at her tortured face as she was forcing her eyes shut and her teeth grinded.

He ran away, as fast as he could, through the tall trees, most of them crushed, burnt, and cut.

His mind was blank, the pain felt numb in his head and his limbs were only warm because he was moving so fast. Besides that, only Sakura was there.

He glanced once over his shoulder, but the kunoichi was gone, though he could still hear the thundering of her Chidori.

Kakashi felt Sakura move.

His grip tightened a bit around her shoulder and he stopped under a tree, far away from the clearing where the thunder kunoichi was.

He was perfectly aware of her following them, but he had to take care of Sakura. She was hurt badly and moving her more could eventually make her injuries worse.

He swore under his breath wondering where on earth Turo and Tenzo were.

He placed Sakura smoothly on the wet grass and shoved off some strands from her face.

Kakashi felt the world disappear. Touching her made him lose control once more. But a painful grunt of hers woke him up.

He heard a sound of movement behind him and saw Turo. His face was tensed and his eyes seemed ready to burst out from their sockets. He bared a serious cut on his left thigh.

He limped towards them panting.

"Where the hell have you been? Where's Tenzo-san?" Turo asked trying to catch his breath. He looked at Sakura and his face darkened.

Kakashi grunted as he tried to scan the area with his Sharingan.

It felt like his brain was burning.

Is it the Sharingan, he considered.

He decided not to use it and covered it with his badge. The headache immediately started to fade away.

"What is it?" Turo whispered noticing Kakashi's worry.

Kakashi observed every little movement in the trees around him. He could hear raindrops splashing on the wet grass, the breeze breaking the already cracked branches, animals of the woods, Sakura's heavy breathing.

_She saved me…_

Kakashi missed a heartbeat remembering blurry images of a huge whirlwind made of thunders and then Sakura grabbing him and leading him away from it. He remembered the scent of the ocean.

He could sense her. The thunder kunoichi was here, hiding.

He heard a whistle.

Kakashi drew a kunai and tackled the shurinken that were sent towards him from his right.

Turo next to him gasped.

Kakashi signaled quickly, keeping his normal eye fixed from the spot the shurinken had emerged from.

"Earth Style Boulder Avalanche Jutsu!" he said and the earth beneath him quaked and growled.

Turo glanced confused at him.

Suddenly massive thunders in forms of dragons rose in the sky, a big distance from them, and swirled like ribbons, when they turned towards them. From behind them followed a massive wave of rock boulders and crushed on one of the thunder dragons, causing it to screech and disappear into thin air. The other two thunder dragons dived towards them, but Kakashi created a huge rock wall, blocking their way.

The thunder dragons crashed on the wall causing an explosion. The wall shattered and turned into smaller particles, which followed the power of gravity.

Kakashi could swear he heard the thunder kunoichi's chuckle.

His fury grew even stronger and he created a shadow clone. The shadow clone stayed behind as he ran towards the thunder kunoichi.

Kakashi ran feeling the dizziness wear out, the burning sensation in his head decrease.

She was there.

And there she stood. On a tree branch staring at him with her Byakugan.

She had her arms folded on her chest and chuckled once more.

Kakashi hated this sound.

"Here you are! I must say this jutsu of that girl was impressive. But it takes more to beat me, than a water toy!" she laughed like a hyena.

Kakashi jumped on an opposite tree branch his eye fixed on her.

"So you found me without your Sharingan." She commented like they were having a small talk.

Kakashi stood motionless, or at least he thought he was, as the heat of anger building up inside of him drove him crazy.

How could he beat the Byakugan without his Sharingan. He couldn't risk using it, now he knew it was it that caused him the trouble in this battle in the first place.

She definitely didn't have the power of prediction, and he was sure it was Kuroi or Madara Uchiha who had told her of their plan of approaching her in the Village of the Blue Tree by disguising himself as one of her accomplices.

The Byakugan. Kakashi tried to remember its flaws. His opponent could see his chakra flow, and according to this, she could also see where Sakura and Turo were, so he had to make sure to keep her away from them. She could see through his jutsus by sensing the alternations in his chakra flow.

He tried to remember of Neji Hyuga's techniques. Thanks to the insight's ability of his Byakugan he could move and act much faster than normal, as he could perfectly see through his opponent's chakra flow. By hitting the correct spots of the body, he could influence the flow and cause great damage to his opponent's body.

But he knew as well by now, that this kunoichi avoided close combat battle.

He smirked under his mask with that thought and attacked.

Sakura had thought ahead of him. She had suggested it, a couple of days ago. He remembered how she looked like when she asked of their approval to speak. She looked so cute.

She told of Madara Uchiha's ability of prediction; that the only way of fighting it was to not plan their next moves. She was proven right with his one plan of approaching the thunder kunoichi. This thunder kunoichi had known of his trick.

They would be dangerously entangled if they moved that recklessly again, so he had to follow Sakura's advice.

_Do not plan your next move. Think of it only a second before doing it_, she had said.

Kakashi thought intensively of Sakura's words and decided to act like that with this thunder kunoichi. She couldn't predict, but she could see.

So he thought intensively of creating a Fireball while using wooden ropes with a wood-natured technique to surprise her from behind.

He even was about to call upon the amount of chakra needed for these two jutsus and, when he was a few inches away from her he kicked her and punched her. She looked perplexed, but quickly fought him back. He didn't give her the chance to leave.

He knew she avoided close combat, so he forced her to stay close to him.

She jumped in the air, but Kakashi managed to grab her from her ankle. She kicked him with the other leg, but he leaned and wrapped his arm around her throat. She laughed again, drawing a kunai out stabbing him in his guts. But this time he was the one to laugh, although he didn't, as he had managed a substitution and appeared to her front.

He managed a strong kick on the back of her knee and she let a scream.

Kakashi signaled quickly while she was kneeling in front of him swearing.

"Wood Prison Jutsu!" he shouted.

He had copied this technique from the red bearded shinobi Sakura had been fighting.

Wooden thick branches emerged from the earth and imprisoned the thunder kunoichi.

She smirked and signaled as well.

"Chidor-!" she let out another scream and fell on the ground, yelling in pain.

Her limbs were shaking as she tried to lift herself up, in vain.

Panting, she shot Kakashi after a moment a killer glance.

Her Byakugan was fading away and her normal black eyes appeared.

Kakashi watched the woman lay weak behind the wooden prison. He had filled the branches with chakra, as a result any foreign chakra would be reflected towards the inside. Towards the person imprisoned.

"You'll pay for that!" she hissed. Her girly voice altered.

"You work for Kuroi?" Kakashi asked harshly.

The woman looked at him and smiled. The lipstick smeared on her face.

"Kuroi! I've heard that name before!" she said jokingly.

Kakashi drew a kunai out and stored a big amount of chakra in it making it flash. The kunoichi saw that and as Kakashi was about to throw it through the branches she signaled him to stop.

Kakashi halted and looked at her calmly.

"You cannot defeat him, Copy Ninja. He's way stronger than you. He needs no Sharingan to be a master of a thousand jutsus!" she said like she was speaking of her god.

Kakashi frowned.

"Is he your master?" he asked.

The woman frowned, her eyes flinching.

"Why do you care?"

Kakashi approached the wooden prison, his eye fixed on her.

"I'll need to inform him of your failure." He said simply and summoned the Chidori.

___________

"Sakura, don't move. You have two broken ribs and a fractured jaw and…!"

"Sh-Show me where!" Sakura said hardly.

Turo looked worried and showed Sakura where she was injured.

"You don't really expect to heal yourself, when you're…!" Turo complained, but Kakashi kneeled next to him.

"Sakura, stop it!" Kakashi ordered. He hated talking to her like that, but he knew how stubborn she could become sometimes.

Sakura grunted and gave up every effort of healing herself.

Kakashi heard a sound closing by and stopped breathing trying to listen to the stranger.

He glanced over his shoulder and noticed bushes moving.

His shadow clone stood alert next to him.

"It's Tenzo-san!" Turo cried and ran to that direction.

Kakashi waited a few seconds until Tenzo was visible and saw him limping like Turo.

He turned to Sakura. Her mouth was all bloody, as were her legs. She hissed every time she inhaled.

Kakashi tried to feel the broken ribs. It felt too hard for him to touch her like that, but he had no choice. She screamed, when Kakashi felt the protuberance of her fractured bone.

The sound pierced his insides.

Kakashi instinctively stroke her cheek.

He suddenly felt like he was taking advantage of that moment, but she needed to know that he was there. She would be alright.

"What happened?" Tenzo said kneeling next to Kakashi.

"Do you know how to regenerate new bones?" Kakashi asked, less polite than normal.

Tenzo sensed that, frowning.

"Ehm, no! I don't." he said in a low tone.

Kakashi grunted and placed his palms above Sakura's torso.

They had to find a way of healing her. She couldn't move like that and probably her lung was injured as well. She had to be healed quickly.

He forced chakra through his palms and the energy made its way through Sakura's skin cells and inside her body to her chakra network. This is the best he could do for her, until he could think of a solution.

He could feel his chakra inside of her feeding her with power, enough to make her feel somehow better, less painful.

"We must go to the village. There must be some medic-nin." Turo suggested sounding anxious.

"What if thunder shinobi await us there. It could be too risky." Tenzo cut him off.

Kakashi concentrated on his chakra watching Sakura's face calm down a bit. The wrinkles of pain on her forehead faded slowly and her skin was smooth again. Her lips no more pressed together, but her breathing was slow and hard.

_Sakura…_

She was sleeping. He stopped his chakra flow and took off his vest to put it around her, make her more comfortable.

"Help me, please." He said to Tenzo.

Tenzo noticed what he was doing and helped Kakashi lift Sakura a bit without moving her ribs. Kakashi managed to wrap her in his jonin vest and laid her down on the ground smoothly.

She looked rather peaceful, although her inhaling hissed every time and then she would grunt silently before calming down again.

Kakashi turned to his teammates. They were looking at him worried.

"What do you suggest, Kakashi-sama? Shall we risk going to the village?" Turo whispered.

Kakashi rubbed the muscles of his forearms, where deep scratches were stinging from the chakra strings the thunder kunoichi had used on him.

He sighed and glanced at Sakura as he heard her hiss once more while trying to inhale.

"What about Sakura's friend. We're supposed to meet her, right?" Tenzo spoke a little too cheerfully.

"We don't know if this person has received Sakura's message." Kakashi said in a grief tone.

"Well, it's been two days." Tenzo said.

"We don't know where she is, maybe she's not even in this country." Turo commented.

Kakashi crossed his legs and felt a grip around his wrist. It was cold.

He turned quickly and saw Sakura's half open eyes looking at him.

She was breathing heavily.

"Sh-She lives outside of the Village of the Golden Path." She whispered. Kakashi had to lean closer to her to listen what she'd said.

Sakura grunted and her hand fell on her injured side.

She flinched when she felt the thick material of Kakashi's vest.

Kakashi smiled at her and she hardly smiled back to him, before her eyelids shut once more.

Kakashi was still staring at her.

He admired her. She was the strongest person he's ever known.

He realized that moment, having her smile still drawn in his mind, how much he cared about her. How this simple gesture had made him feel that alive.

She had saved him. Thanks to her he was here, watching over her. She had been injured because of him.

He let a silent sigh, observing her soft skin, her eyelids, the sweat on her forehead.

In his inmost heart, he knew now what she meant to him.

He slowly turned to Tenzo and Turo.

"I hate to say that, but we'll have to split. Tenzo, I need you to go ahead and warn this friend of Sakura. I trust this person can help us. It's a day and a half ahead, but if you rush you'll be there by tomorrow noon. Turo and myself will follow with Sakura." Kakashi said using his serious tone.

Turo and Tenzo nodded and Tenzo stood up.

"Wait!" Kakashi said calmly and approached Tenzo. He held his palms above Tenzo's right leg which was bleeding and healed him.

"At least I can help _you._" Kakashi said.

"Thank you! I'll run as fast as I can." Tenzo said.

Kakashi signaled and bit his thumb. He placed it on the ground in front of him and behind a cloud of smoke appeared Pakkun. The little chocolate-colored ninja hound with the sad look.

He stared at Kakashi lazily.

"Hey there, Kakashi!" he said dragging his voice.

Kakashi greeted him.

"I want you to go with Tenzo and find Sakura's friend." Kakashi informed him.

Pakkun glanced at Sakura and looked back again gapping when he noticed her condition. He looked back at Kakashi. Pakkun nodded understanding.

Kakashi looked at Tenzo.

"How will I distinguish this friend?" he asked scratching the back of his head.

Kakashi grinned.

"This is why I summoned Pakkun to help you. This person will have Sakura's scent. He'll find her easily, don't worry." He told him.

Turo chuckled.

"Oh, I thought you called him in order to protect me. Ok then, take care!" Tenzo said hastily and with Pakkun disappeared in the woods.

The last sunrays were fading away as the sun was already about to set.

Kakashi stayed close to Sakura, not leaving her side and healed Turo's injuries as well.

He looked back at Sakura and observed every little detail on her. The curve of her neck, leading to her shoulders. The corners of her lips and how they moved every time she ached to breathe.

He wished to soothe her pain. Breathe for her if he could. But as inappropriate as it sounded, he liked to watch over her like that. Having her lay next to him, in his vest, sleeping, while he was protecting her.

I won't let you get hurt again, never, he thought and smiled as he noticed a sudden smile on her face.

**Thank you all for reading and liking the story :) it's the energy potion that keeps me writing!**

**Until next time...!**


	16. 16Similarities

**Hello everyone **

**here is the next chapter and (finally) my favourite twist in the story! Thank you very very very much for reading :)**

**HAVE FUN!!!**

The vast plain extended to the coastline of the eastern Fire Country, where the scent of the ocean woke your senses and the morning sun gave out its power to every living creature.

Tenzo had the woods that surrounded the Village of the Blue Tree behind him and was running on the plain, freshly green and different colours scattered all over the area. Flowers that danced in the breeze.

He hadn't stopped running since last afternoon and he was hoping of finally reaching his destination. The Village of the Golden Path. It had been long since he last had come here. It was one of the most beautiful places of the Fire Country. A fishermen's village by the sea.

The plain was on the same level with the sea surface and at sunrise it seemed as though the sun was setting the ocean and the plain on fire. Two lighthouses stood on each side of the village and the sun reflected between them, a golden path that crossed the ocean towards the Fire Country. This is why it was called like that.

Tenzo had his eyes fixed on these lighthouses, ancient buildings that were ruined in different parts. It looked like the gate to another world, where the silvery sea surface lay.

Tenzo noticed a figure running towards him. It was coming from the village.

Tenzo slowed his pace and after a few moments could distinguish a young lady.

"Pakkun." Tenzo said not leaving the girl out of his sight.

Pakkun was running by his side.

The ninja hound raised his snout and sniffed the air.

"I think it's her." he said calmly.

Tenzo frowned and halted, as did Pakkun.

The girl was already a few feet ahead of him. She had slowed down as well, when she stopped and stared at Tenzo and Pakkun.

She was much shorter than him and slim, wearing a dark blue dress and short leggings. She had a short katana on her back and her arms where wrapped with bandages. She was wearing no ninja badge, but Tenzo could tell she was a kunoichi.

She was panting and approached him. Her shoulder-length hair danced around her round face.

"Good morning, sir. Do you come from the Village Hidden in the Leaves?" she asked.

Tenzo noticed her hand hidden behind her back, like she was about to draw out kunais or shurinken.

Tenzo glanced at Pakkun and back at the girl. She reminded him of someone.

Pakkun sniffed once more and nodded looking at Tenzo.

"Yes, I am. My name is Yamato and I'm a friend of Sakura-chan. Do you know her?"

The girl looked at him shocked. Her hand, which she had been hiding behind her back, fell on her side. She made some more steps in order to look at Tenzo better.

Tenzo stood calmly.

"Sakura Haruno?" she gasped.

Tenzo smiled at her. It was her, he thought. She was the person Sakura wanted to help them find and fight Madara Uchiha.

Tenzo nodded.

The girl chuckled and her face calmed down.

After a moment she looked back at him, as she obviously had thought of something bad.

"But, if you are Sakura's friend, why are you here? I received yesterday an urgent message of hers, about a mission. Are you on the same team as her?" she asked worried.

"Yes, we encountered obstacles on our way to the Village of the Blue Tree. We need your help. Sakura… she's seriously injured. My teammates bring her as we speak towards here. I was sent to find you and request help from you. It was too dangerous to go back to the Village of the Blue Tree." Tenzo told her remembering Sakura's condition.

The girl gasped placing her palm in front of her mouth.

"Injured?" she asked.

Tenzo wasn't sure if he should tell her, but still they needed her help. Sakura had to be healed quickly.

"Can you help us? Is there a skilled medic-nin in your village?" Tenzo asked.

The girl stared at the woods behind him and then back to him.

"Oh, yes. My mother. She's the best in the village. How far away are they?" she asked scanning the area behind Tenzo.

"They must be six hours behind." He told her seriously, examining her.

She seemed trustful, but too young. How could Sakura confide such a dangerous mission on this girl's hands, he thought. She didn't seem older than fifteen.

She looked at him, like she had sensed his doubt about her.

She tried to smile.

"Forgive me, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Kitano Chie." Said the girl and bowed in front of Tenzo.

Tenzo bowed slightly as well and smiled at Chie.

"I'll lead you to Sakura-chan." Tenzo said and, with Pakkun leading, they turned towards the woods under the morning sun.

___________

Sakura grunted forcefully and let a cry of pain.

"Kakashi-sama, wait!" Turo said warningly.

Kakashi glanced over his shoulder and placed the self-made board, in synchronization with Turo, on the ground gently.

Turo looked worried at Sakura, who was having greater difficulty in breathing. Kakashi had been offering her his chakra every hour to ease her pain, but her breathing had got only worse. If they moved faster it would destroy her fractured ribs and probably cut into her lung. They had to be careful with every move, but had to hurry as well.

Kakashi leaned on Sakura and placed his palms above her torso. He was sick of seeing her like that and being unable to provide her any assistance. Give her anything to sooth her, to help her breathe at least. He could only give her some minutes of numbness, so that she could sleep not feeling the pain.

He watched her face calming down as his chakra gave her some strength. Turo was breathing heavily next to him.

"Kakashi-sama, are you sure this friend of Sakura-san can help her?" he whispered, as though he didn't want Sakura to hear him.

Kakashi didn't look away from Sakura as he spoke.

"We have no choice right now but to trust her. Sakura is in danger. If this person is really her friend then she'll be able to help. Wouldn't you do anything to help your friend?" he said in a low tone.

Turo looked at Kakashi serious.

Then he nodded staring at Sakura, who was hissing every time she inhaled.

"Of course. I'd even give my life if it meant my friend could live." He said with a grief tone, but Kakashi could hear a power arising in his voice.

"Sakura ended up like this because she did that exact thing. She tried to save me. She stood in this thunder kunoichi's way and fought her. She fought her while I was unable to. She saved me." Kakashi said forcing more chakra in Sakura.

Turo moved next to him.

He was silent for a few moments, the only sound was the chakra's humming and the leaves dancing in the chilly morning breeze.

"She is brave." Turo commented.

Kakashi glanced at Turo. He was looking at him with a compassionate smile.

"We should move." Kakashi said and together they lifted the board with Sakura slowly and moved through the forest heading to the Village of the Golden Path.

After a couple of hours, while the sun had risen in the sky, Kakashi sensed someone approaching. There were sounds of bushes and branches moving and crows crying.

"Kakashi-sama!" Turo hissed.

They stopped, holding the board with sleeping Sakura tight.

Kakashi was about to pull over his forehead protector, but he suddenly noticed Pakkun's little form emerging from a spiky bush.

"Kakashi!" Pakkun barked and behind him appeared Tenzo followed by a girl.

Kakashi felt his feet losing ground and everything and everyone around him disappear. The world seemed spinning ten times faster and the voices were distant in his ears.

How can it be, he thought intensively. She looks like…

She…

Kakashi couldn't breathe. He heard a shout somewhere. He stared at the girl, not seeing her, but seeing…

_Rin…?_

Kakashi felt something blocking his airway, like he wanted to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. Was fate playing games with his mind. Did he really stand in front of a clone of Rin in her teens. Rin, who was dead. Rin, his former teammate. Could it be.

His hands started shaking and all he could see were her eyes. Identical. Her face and all the details on her face. Identical.

'KAKASHI!" Pakkun barked with a loud and fierce voice.

Kakashi flinched and glanced at the ninja hound. He was frowning and growling.

"What's the matter with you?" he requested.

Kakashi feared to look back at the girl, but he had to. Who was she?

He turned to look at the girl who was watching him cautiously keeping a distance from him.

"Kakashi-senpai! Are you alright?" Tenzo asked worried and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Who is she?" Kakashi said harshly.

The girl frowned at him. She looked exactly like _her_.

Tenzo glanced at the girl.

"It's Sakura-chan's friend. This is Kitano Chie. Her mother is a medic-nin, she can help Sakura-chan." He informed him gesturing at Chie.

Chie made a step forward and bowed slightly at Kakashi. Her dark brown eyes stared at him, like a prey watches its hunter.

Kakashi nodded and felt his stomach turn. Sakura's hiss woke him up.

He shot his head backwards looking at the pink-haired girl. She was moving uncomfortably again.

"Turo." He ordered and together they placed Sakura on the ground. She grunted silently.

"Oh, Sakura!" Chie cried and fell on her knees next to Sakura.

She held her hand and stroked her cheek.

"Oh, what happened to her? Who did this to her?" she gasped. She looked at Kakashi who was staring at her.

He turned his gaze to Sakura and kneeled next to the girl.

"We were attacked by thunder shinobi. We must hurry, she's been like that for many hours. We need your help." Kakashi said after he found himself again, by looking at Sakura's tensed face.

Chie nodded and sighed.

"Of course I'll help. I live just outside of the Village of the Golden Path. My mother is a best-qualified medic-nin, she can definitely help her. I'll lead you!" She said seriously.

Kakashi nodded and with Turo lifted Sakura up.

"Shall we change positions?" Tenzo asked Kakashi. Tenzo rubbed his knuckles and looked worried.

Kakashi shook his head.

"Take Turo's place. Try to walk quickly, but with the less movements, understood?" Kakashi said.

Tenzo nodded.

"Aye!"

"Follow me." Chie said and glanced at her friend before walking quickly through the trees.

Kakashi was thinking intensively of his former teammate, the one who witnessed his best friend's death, the one who had transplanted Obito's Sharingan in his eye socket. Images of Rin were popping into his mind, memories of his teens. When they were the best chuunin team, during the training days with Minato-sensei. Beautiful years, filled with laughter and fights with Obito, jokes with Rin, exciting adventures with Minato-sensei.

Could it be, he thought. Could Rin still be alive. She had just disappeared after Obito's death, he had run to find her, but there was no sign of her. It was years later that she was considered dead, by a team who had found some of her belongings in a river.

Kakashi remembered this day, like yesterday. It was a rainy day and the Third Hokage had called for him in his office. He remembered how he thought he would be sent on a new ANBU mission, but seeing the Hokage's grief face everything had disappeared inside of him. Hearing the most terrible news coming out of his mouth and the tormenting silence that surrounded him. The hot tears burning his skin under his mask. She was dead. For so many years he lived knowing that his teammates were dead, that he was alone.

And now, this little girl appears and she looks exactly like Rin.

_Chie…_

Kakashi missed a heartbeat remembering that Rin's mother's name was Chie. Rin's mother had died when she was only twelve, a devastating loss. Obito and he were there to help her get through it.

Kakashi missed a step and the board moved dangerously.

"Kakashi!" Tenzo said harshly. They halted.

"Kakashi-senpai, can you concentrate? What on earth is wrong?" he demanded.

Kakashi felt embarrassed and furious with himself.

He grunted.

"Turo, can you please take my place?" he asked silently.

Turo approached and carefully grabbed the board on the front.

Kakashi moved to the side and noticed a worried glance from Tenzo.

Kakashi looked at Sakura.

"Kakash-!"

"I'm fine, Tenzo-san." Kakashi shot silently. He knew he acted strangely, he didn't feel like himself. He didn't feel _normal _for a few days now, but now all he could feel was anger for himself. For his inability to protect his teammates, especially Sakura. She was his student, she was… Kakashi forced his thoughts to clear up. This path would only lead him to stranger places. Places filled with roses covered with thorns, a beautiful, but too dangerous place. Too dangerous. If he continued letting such thoughts take control of his mind, body and soul, he would go mad. And he didn't really care if it hurt him, but it would have a serious impact on Sakura. He couldn't risk showing or telling anything of what he felt and thought. He couldn't, he _mustn't_ risk entangling her in this messy situation he had created. Sakura had gone through too much to having to deal with his own problems as well.

It's not a solution, he ordered himself. I have to get out of it by myself, Sakura has nothing to do with this.

He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She was so vulnerable, so weak, in pain and it burned his insides. But what burned him most was the existence of a certain person who had awakened too painful memories.

_Chie… _how could Sakura be befriended with someone who was coincidentally identical to his former teammate whom he thought dead. Kakashi felt a piercing chill down his spine as he thought of the girl's words about her mother being a best-qualified medic-nin. Rin had been the best medic-nin of her generation. She had the greatest potential in this field. Could it be Rin, Kakashi considered intensively.

Tenzo and Turo were moving again and he held Sakura's hand stroking it. It felt so soft, but cold.

Her head moved to his side and she slowly opened her eyelids looking at him.

"Sakura!" he said and held her hand with both of his. The thoughts of Rin still traveled in his mind.

"Hey!" she whispered and grunted once more.

"Don't speak." He told her softly feeling Tenzo's stare.

Sakura opened her eyes again and looked around the trees, the sky and the sunrays falling on her face. Her turquoise eyes sparkled and Kakashi tightened his grip around her hand.

"Everything will be fine, Sakura. We found your friend, Chie. She's found help and you'll be alright. You'll be fine, I promise you that." He whispered to her.

She smiled, but her face was tensed again. She hissed trying to inhale and Kakashi felt her hand tightening around his.

Noone deserves hurting like that, especially you, he thought. I owe you so much.

"Chie!" Sakura whispered her voice sounding like a snake's hiss.

Kakashi nodded and looked for Chie with his eye.

She was on the front with Pakkun.

She even moved like Rin.

"Chie-chan!" he said and the girl turned to look at him.

She halted as Turo and Tenzo reached her.

Chie immediately looked at Sakura.

Sakura turned her head to her other side looking at Chie.

Chie smiled and held her other hand.

Kakashi felt strange and let go of Sakura's hand. He walked by her side listening to them.

"How did you end up like this, huh? I remember you being fiercer, I've never seen you like that, Sakura-san. Don't scare me like this, I beg you." Chie mumbled.

Sakura tried hardly to smile.

"Chie, I-I don't want y-your mother-" Sakura whispered.

Kakashi looked at her.

Chie had glanced at Kakashi and quickly looked back at Sakura avoiding his look.

"Oh, ok ok! Don't worry I'll take care of that." She assured her and stroked her cheek.

"Thank y-you!" Sakura said.

Chie was silent while walking in the same pace as Turo and Tenzo.

Kakashi noticed tears forming in her chocolate eyes.

"I'd do anything for my best friend, Sakura! Just like you would do. You are everything I want to become and now that is my time to help, I will offer my service gladly. I'm here for you!" Chie said wiping away her tears and kissed Sakura's hand.

Sakura smiled, a tear forming in her own eyes as well.

Kakashi smiled under his mask and looked towards the trees, which were getting less dense. The light seemed to increase and after some minutes he could distinguish a beautiful vast plain, a green area that extended towards a light blue horizon.

The breeze that blew smelled of salt and freshness. The ocean.

To the far east , by the coastline, Kakashi could see two great towers reaching the bright sky and felt relief for Sakura, but fear for meeting Chie's mother.

____________

"Turo-san, can you please not drag like that?" Tenzo complained looking at Turo's back.

Turo grunted in response and recovered to his normal pace.

"Dear, we really need some rest, all of us. Everyone seems to be getting too nervous." Tenzo said, mostly to himself.

Kakashi was walking on the back, as he was trying to find a discriminative way of pulling away. Somehow to avoid looking at Chie and most importantly avoid the unexpected meeting with Chei's mother. But he had to overcome those problems for Sakura. Sakura's health was the top priority right now. He had to face with whatever problem would arise after Sakura's well-being was secured.

Kakashi turned his gaze towards the sky and noticed little clouds passing him by.

If only he could be a cloud, light and loose in the wind's rage, being guided to whatever destination, getting over any obstacles no matter what. Just being something that felt nothing would soothe him and give him all the peace he needed to find himself again.

No past, no future.

Kakashi sighed and noticed the buildings of the Village of the Golden Path. Wooden little creations with colourful roofs and the grass beneath his feet had been replaced by fine sand which seemed like golden particles. The sound of them frazzling together brought him back to reality. The sun was much lower and the clouds had disappeared to the south.

Kakashi glanced at the two half-ruined lighthouses on the north and south of the village.

Villagers were everywhere, some working on nets sitting on their house stairs, some selling goods on the street on little wooden tables, some walking around talking with their neighbors.

Kids were running up and down the streets screaming and laughing loud, like the world was perfect. It was for them at least.

Many eyes stared at them and at the unconscious Sakura.

A young man approached Chie and asked her something which Kakashi hadn't heard, while the man was staring at Sakura.

"Will the lady be alright?" a little boy asked Kakashi holding a pink ball tight. His huge round eyes stared at Kakashi like watching a growling fierce dog.

Kakashi tried to smile under his mask.

"Yes, she'll be fine!" he told him calmly.

She _will_ be fine, he thought as he walked past the little boy who stood motionless.

Chie was greeted by many villagers as she led them to the south of the village.

She guided them through a small alley and ended up walking to a single wooden house that stood on a small sand hill. Bushes grew all around it and danced at the afternoon's breeze. The air felt much more humid and sticky due to the ocean's spray.

Kakashi could hear from far the silent hush of the waves crushing on the shore.

Chie halted in the little garden in front of the house. She looked really nervous.

"I must inform you that my mother can become rather strange, she does that with Leaf shinobi, so don't misunderstand her. She…" Chie turned to look at Kakashi "…has her reasons." She added after a moment.

"You two follow me please." She said. Chie opened the door which screeched and gestured them inside. Kakashi stood where he was, between bushes of daisies and pots with orchids and small trees he didn't recognize. He saw on the side of the house a smaller extra room built. He could easily distinguish many pots and jars with herbs.

All these details made him now sure that Rin was alive and she was here, this was her house.

"Kakashi, are you alright?" Kakashi heard Pakkun's deep voice.

He flinched, as he had almost forgotten of his existence.

Kakashi nodded simply looking down at the sea.

"You look… like you are sleeping standing. Only horses do that, you know." Pakkun said calmly. The ninja hound took a glance at his paws and then back to Kakashi.

"Have I ever told you of my former teammates?" he asked calmly.

Pakkun made a sound of wonder.

"You mean Obito-san and Rin-san?" the ninja hound asked.

Kakashi nodded.

"Yes."

"No, you haven't."

"It's all in my mind every moment of my existence. Their faces, their voices. I knew I've been daydreaming for such a long time now. But…it all came upside down. I thought they were all dead. Gone. But Sakura's friend appeared…" Kakashi stopped as he listened to the still sound of the waves. He noticed the sun about to set behind him, behind the forest. It was burning in a beautiful golden orange color. The sunrays touched the plain, then through the two lighthouses and finally reached the sea surface.

The Golden Path, he thought.

"Pakkun, Rin is alive and this is her house and Chie…she's her daughter." Kakashi felt his throat burning as he told these words. The words he dared not to think. He felt a tear reaching his cloth around his lower face as he watched the sunset. The beauty of the golden horizon gave him a strange strength and woke the deep and heavy feeling of melancholy inside of him.

He wanted to disappear, he was too afraid.

Too afraid of facing Rin, too afraid of being near Sakura…what has happened to me, he thought.

Kakashi heard Pakkun next to him move.

"Kakashi." Pakkun started. When Kakashi looked at the ninja hound he noticed Turo standing at the threshold. Kakashi missed a heartbeat when he noticed his terrified look which altered his face.

Kakashi walked quickly towards him forgetting that he was about to enter Rin's home.

"Kakashi-sama, we need your help. Sakura-san's…she's worse than we thought!"

Kakashi felt the world disappearing, like a mountain had crushed upon him.

He ran inside knocking Turo and followed the bitter scent of blood.

In a small living-room, on a table, on the board, she lay with a bloody sheet underneath her.

Kakashi looked at no one else. Noone else existed for him.

She was there unconscious. Kakashi noticed that she wasn't hissing. She wasn't breathing at all.

"What happened?" he demanded his voice harsh.

He kneeled by Sakura's other side and noticed blood pouring out of her injured side.

This is when he saw those chocolate eyes. The brown hair tied backwards, her smooth face. Her eyes. He got lost in them for a moment that felt like eternity.

_Rin.._

She was staring at him back, tears forming in her eyes, but she quickly turned at Sakura.

Her hands were feeling Sakura's side. Kakashi heard Turo mutter something and he looked at Sakura, too confused, too frustrated, too dizzy.

"I need you to provide her your chakra towards her heart when I tell you. Try to focus only on her heart, it's faint." She said making Kakashi flinch as he heard her voice.

He nodded and looked at Sakura.

He tried to calm himself and placed his hands above Sakura's chest which wasn't moving at all.

Rin forced her own chakra in Sakura's side. The green light hummed in the tormenting silence of the room. Rin grunted and Kakashi noticed more blood pouring out.

"Chie, bring me towels and warm water, now!" Rin ordered.

Kakashi heard Chie's quick footsteps. Turo followed her. Tenzo was standing behind Rin watching her working on Sakura's rib.

"She was bleeding internally the whole time. I'm trying to heal her lung first, but there must be some piece of her rib still inside it, so it opens up again and again." She explained grinding her teeth as her hands moved on Sakura. Every now and then she would force her chakra into Sakura.

"Is she breathing?" Kakashi asked.

Rin shut her eyes and reopened them, avoiding Kakashi's stare.

"Faintly." She said.

Rin grunted and her face calmed a bit.

"I-I think I got it this time." She said and leaned closer to Sakura examining her wound.

"Are you sure?" Tenzo asked his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Rin glanced over her shoulder.

"CHIE!" she shouted.

Kakashi heard footsteps and saw Turo and Chie running through the room with white wet towels in their hands.

The girl was panting as she offered the towels to her mother. Kakashi still couldn't digest the idea of seeing his former teammate sound and alive in front of him, let alone the fact that she had a daughter.

"Stay behind, Chie!" Rin ordered and placed the wet, warm towel on Sakura's side.

"Kakashi, are you ready?" Rin said silently as she signaled and placed her hands on Sakura's side.

Kakashi nodded and was about to send his chakra in his palms.

He had to concentrate on Sakura's heart. Give her heart more power. Enough power to beat again normally.

Rin muttered something and then she drew her hands slowly away from Sakura, where a small mass of some liquid floated following her palms. Rin placed this substance by her side in a bowl and then quickly placed her hands back on Sakura.

Rin had her eyes shut and her chakra hummed.

"Now!" she said.

Kakashi shut his own eye concentrating on Sakura's heart and felt his energy moving through his body to his hands and then through Sakura's cells in her heart. He could barely feel her heart beating and, as his chakra surrounded her heart helping it beat again, Kakashi noticed her chest rising again as she was breathing again.

Kakashi couldn't help but smile. She wasn't hissing or grunting anymore while inhaling.

He glanced at Rin who looked at him and smiled as well.

"Keep on! She's lost much blood and her body will need all the energy available to function properly again." She said looking at him.

Kakashi turned to look at Sakura. She didn't seem to be in pain anymore. She lay peaceful accepting his chakra. She looked relieved. The broken pieces inside of him seemed to line up in a logical order again. Finally she would be alright again. He couldn't wait to see her again like he remembered her. Beautiful and brave, courageous and adorable, strong and decisive.

I'll never let you get hurt again, never, he thought and smiled looking at her face.

Kakashi noticed her fingers on his side move.

"I think this is enough for now. She needs rest. She can stay in my room." Rin said her hands bloody. She rubbed them with one of the towels she had not used.

Kakashi glanced at Rin.

"Can we move her?" he asked.

"Her ribs are all fixed, as is her jaw and her thigh." She told him and moved towards a room.

Kakashi looked at Sakura who was breathing normally and slowly put his arms underneath her. His vest was all bloody and ripped where her injured side used to be. He didn't mind at all. She was alright. Kakashi didn't need much strength to lift her. To him she felt as light as a feather and so small his arms could almost wrap her. Wrap her under his eternal protection, where no one would dare hurting her again. He rarely left his eye off of Sakura as he walked towards the room where Rin was fixing the pillows and sheets.

Sakura's face was leaning on his chest and Kakashi felt beautiful having her like that. Feeling her warmth radiating through the thin, dark blue material of his uniform.

He placed her smoothly on the double bed and Rin fixed the pillows under her head, so that she was lying linear. Then she pulled a blanket above her and pulled off her Konoha badge.

Kakashi noticed Rin holding the badge a bit longer than needed. He saw that she was looking at it, but then she placed it by the bedside table.

When she sensed his stare she smiled and left the room.

Kakashi was kneeling by Sakura and watched her breathe. Just in case she would start hissing again or show any sign of pain, so that he could heal her.

He kept control of himself the last moment before stroking Sakura's cheek. That would seem too strange as he knew eyes were watching him by the door.

He stood up and turned to see Tenzo standing there.

He was looking worried at him.

"Are you alright?"

Kakashi sighed silently looking at Rin inside the living-room picking up the bloody towels.

"It's unbelievable that she's alive." Tenzo whispered.

Kakashi noticed Tenzo looking on the other direction at Sakura.

"I felt that this girl looked too familiar, but not until I saw her mother did I realize it." Tenzo whispered and looked at Kakashi.

Kakashi could feel his breathing on his right side of his face.

"I can't believe it myself." He muttered and leaned on the door feeling all the exhaustion taking over his body.

"Can you handle it?" Tenzo asked placing a hand on Kakashi's shoulder.

Kakashi looked at his friend, one of the few who knew the real story behind Obito's death and Rin's _supposed _death. One of the few who were there for him when he had lost everyone dear to him, his two best friends, his sensei, his father. When the world had been torn to pieces around him, Tenzo, a youngling and freshly made genin in the ninja Academy, was there for him. Was a friend when he needed one the most.

"I must." Kakashi said and smiled at Tenzo. Tenzo smiled back and patted him on his shoulder.

"Go then. I'll watch over Sakura-chan." Tenzo said and moved towards the room.

Kakashi looked at Sakura and received all the courage he needed from her peaceful existence in order to face Rin.


	17. 17Ghost

**Hey guys**

**i'm sorry for the waiting! I thank you all for reading, favoriting, reviewing and having the story in alert! Thank you, thank you :***

**so... HAVE FUN!!!**

Naruto was watching over the dim lights of the Village of the Thousand Ghosts. They seemed like hundreds of fireflies in the middle of an endless darkness. The sky above him was starless as the full moon shone with all its might. Dark freckles were visible on its silvery surface, the prints of millions of years of conflict with other universal creations.

Naruto heard a sudden snore and was almost shocked to see that it was Temari who had changed side too quickly shoving off the blanket of her.

Naruto smiled and already thought of the sand kunoichi's face when he would _accidentally _mention this little habbit of hers in front of everyone.

He turned to the village again thinking over and over of Madara Uchiha, and of course the one person who had occupied every cell of his brain for the last six years. The one person who was all he wanted to be, who was the brother he wished he had, who was the perfect opponent for him. Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto tried to think why on earth Madara was killing genins. And why he had still not showed himself. He knew well enough that Madara had been aiming on collecting the final Tailed Demon, the Nine-Tailed Fox which used to live inside his body, but he had failed. Maybe his rage had risen that much that he was just letting it all out by killing younglings, the future of the five Great Shinobi Countries.

But there was this one thing that made him uneasy with this matter- actually many things made him feel uneasy lately; like Sakura being back, Hanah spreading out all over the village about them being together and Hinata Hyuga's face when she saw him with the latter together- but this mission was his top priority right now. Naruto rubbed his chin feeling the spiky hair growing.

Madara Uchiha, as he had overheard Granny-Tsunade once shout to an ANBU team, had been killing only _one _member of the genin teams he encountered and Naruto couldn't stop thinking of how this looked like. It just looked like Sasuke's death. Although it wasn't exactly Madara who had killed Sasuke, he was the reason behind it. He was the one who forced the Nine-Tailed Fox to Konoha eighteen years ago and, as a result, the one who had forced through other means Sasuke fight the Demon and get killed.

One dead member of every genin team, Sasuke dead of the Team 7. Had Madara been showing them that plot over and over again. Giving a message, as he manipulated Sasuke's death by killing one member of so many genin teams. Why didn't he kill all of them. They couldn't have been so hard to fight for a shinobi as Madara. He had been indeed giving them a message.

But why…

Naruto grunted feeling his insides burn as he couldn't figure out why someone would do such a thing.

After Sasuke had killed his brother Itachi, Sasuke was supposed to be the last family Madara had. Why would he kill him. Or maybe wasn't he planning to. Maybe he didn't suspect him to get defeated by the Demon.

"Demons are Demons." Naruto muttered walking up and down the edge of the cliff with the Village of the Thousand Chosts beneath him.

Even the greatest shinobi wouldn't be able to defeat a Demon and make it out alive, how could Madara expect Sasuke survive such a fight.

But…

Madara didn't mind if _he_ survived. Perhaps he was expecting of Naruto dying together with the Demon, so that he could claim the Fox's chakra as his own, just like he did with the chakra of the rest of the Demons.

Naruto grunted tightening his fists.

He turned to look at his teammates. They were all asleep. Temari let another snore.

Naruto thought of Sakura. How is she, he considered. Did Kakashi-sensei and Sakura already encounter Madara or his accomplice, Kuroi. Was she fine.

Well she's with Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-sensei. She was perfectly safe. But he wished he was with her. Seeing her walk away again, away from him made him feel strange and afraid that perhaps she couldn't bear it being back with him in the village where Sasuke left his last breath.

Ever since he saw her that day at the desert outside of the Sand Village he wanted to talk to her. About her having gone, about Sasuke, about their future as a team. He still hadn't the chance and he wished with all his might, while staring at the round moon, that Sakura would return safely and they would be together again. Or else he would kill Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-sensei.

____________

At dawn, Shizune, Neji, Temari and, last, Shikamaru woke up packing their things. It had been three days and Temari's two teammates had been left in a more remote spot, watching over Iwao. The thunder shinobi who was sent by this unknown Ichirou to spy on them.

Naruto had a snack and they all left to scan the perimeter of the village for the fourth time. Then they were planning on infiltrating the village disguised.

Neji was running in the front with his Byakugan activated.

Shikamaru yawned next to Naruto and Naruto looked at him smiling broadly.

"Do you know why you had such a bad sleep, Shikamaru-san?" he asked, forcing to keep himself of laughing.

Shikamaru barely moved his eyes to glance at Naruto, like it was the hardest thing to do. He mumbled and looked straight ahead.

"Well, we have a member in this team who has blonde hair, a voice of a turkey and the look of a fish right now, aa, and before I forget, snores like a bear! This is why you couldn't sleep!" Naruto said loudly ready to explode with laughter.

Shikamaru frowned.

"Huh?"

"Temari! She snores like a be-!"

"YOU STUPID FUCKING BASTARD, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF CRAP!"

Naruto felt all the mountains of the Earth crushing on him, causing his skull to shutter and his poor brain to spin. He felt dirt in his mouth and he couldn't open his eyes. He felt his heart pounding in his head like drums.

"Aauch!" he mumbled trying to lift himself from the ground. He noticed with one eye two pair of sandals and died toenails.

This can only be…

He had no time to think as another blow hit his face and Naruto ended up flat with his back on a tree. It hurt like hell, as his spine cracked and he could see eleven little birds swirling above his head. Or was it twelve.

"You'll die, you bastard. I'll make sure you die and I'll be soooo glad to do it. For everyone's sake, you hear me! Huh?" Naruto heard from somewhere a high-pitched voice shout madly.

"Temari-san, calm down please. You know how he is. He's not worth all this-!" Shizune tried to get a hold on Temari's arm.

Temari growled and walked up to the dizzy Naruto.

Naruto tried to move something, anything, but his body wouldn't listen, like he was numb all over.

_Shit…_

"Oh, come on Temari, you're overreacting!" Shikamaru muttered yawning afterwards, which probably made the crazy sand kunoichi even more mad as Naruto heard a cry of pain from Shikamaru's part.

"Oh dear!" Shizune sighed.

"Men! Oh my lord, why did you create such _stupid _beings! What on earth were you thinking. Argh, I'll punch you and kick you and slam you to the ground regretting the day you met me. And then I'll melt you like warms. That's what you are; warms!" Temari laughed enjoying herself and Naruto felt the ground disappearing beneath him.

Temari was holding him from his jonin vest with one hand. Naruto had to admit she was awesomely strong.

He could feel her hot exhaling on his face. He still couldn't open up his left eye as it started to swell.

"Do you regret what you just said?" she hissed.

Naruto felt a shiver running down his spine.

He didn't know what to say. He was afraid of her that's for sure, but admitting a mistake was too much for him. It was like saying to the world _yeah I'm stupid._

"W-We can talk about it."

"About what? Tell me, you stupid little warm, tell me!" she demanded.

"Temari-san, please let him down. We have bigger problems to worry about. Let us continue with the search, please." Shizune begged approaching Temari. Naruto could only make out her silhouette, no details on her face.

"There is a thing called respect and this little bastard here has obviously no clue about that word, have you?" Temari said harshly her voice now trembling with anger.

Naruto felt a sting at his left eye as he tried to open it up.

He had to somehow free himself from her, he would no way admit his mistake to her.

He smirked and signaled with his hands too quickly for her to make it out.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he said and he heard puffs! all around him. Suddenly the quiet forest buzzed with thousands of murmurs of the Narutos that had flooded the entire area.

Temari was surrounded by thousands of angry Narutos and he could hear her gasp.

"So you want a fight?" she said angrily and let go of him.

Naruto smirked with this victory of his and stepped back.

Suddenly Naruto heard above the murmuring of his shadow clones puffs! all around and yelling.

After some moments he noticed that all his shadow clones had vanished into thin air and Neji and Shikamaru were panting staring at Temari and him.

"Shizune-san is right. We have greater issues to worry about. Fight as much as you want once we are back home." Shikamaru said harshly and walked past them wiping away the blood from his lip, where Temari had punched him.

Naruto looked at Temari who grunted forcefully and walked away following the rest.

Naruto noticed Neji shooting him a killer look. Naruto felt a shiver having the weird Byakugan fixed on him.

Naruto frowned and ached, as he followed Shikamaru and Shizune in the woods.

_____________

"Well?" Shikamaru whispered his eyes fixed on something far ahead.

Neji grunted.

"There are ten of them. The one who sits, and everyone else is gathered around him, has the strongest chakra. It must be him." Neji muttered the veins on the sides of his forehead ready to explode.

Naruto grinded his teeth. Finally they had found him. Ichirou, who was definitely working for Madara Uchiha. He smiled thinking of this monster's face as he would break it to pieces with his Rasengan.

"Right." Shikamaru said and pressed his lips together as he got lost in his own mind figuring out their strategy.

Shizune and Temari were kneeling next to him waiting for him to speak out loud his thoughts.

Naruto observed the little hut under a huge oak, which leaves covered the entire roof of it. Birds were frazzling through them singing like nothing was wrong in their world.

Naruto turned to look at Shikamaru. He wore a beaming smile on his face. That meant only one thing.

"So, Naruto listen carefully." Shikamaru began and told Naruto of his part of his plan. Then he spoke to Temari and the two of them followed his order and abandoned their hideout following different directions.

Naruto walked slowly and silently through the woods. Always keeping an eye on his surroundings he stopped when he was far away from his teammates.

He could distinguish the dim light coming from the hut where Ichirou was hiding.

Naruto smiled and thought of Sasuke. The day he had returned. The smile that appeared on his bruised face as he walked through the gates of Konoha. The happiness Naruto had felt when he saw his eyes reading every thought in Sasuke's mind.

_I'm back, Naruto, I'm back…_this is what he had read in his eyes. The happiest day of his life. The return of his best friend and forever rival.

"I will take revenge for you, brother!" Naruto said decisively to himself and he felt all the energy he had, burst inside of him as he ran aiming for the hut and forming a Rasengan in his right palm, using no shadow clone, no help. The Rasengan was his masterpiece.

He ran to the hut, the chakra ball whistling in his palm and lightening the area around him.

A few more feet. His head was burning with anger. His limbs shaking as he felt his own energy fill him up. No foreign chakra, no energy from the Nine-Tailed Fox anymore. Just his. Pure and destructive.

"RASENGAN!" Naruto shouted with all his might and crushed his Rasengan on the front door of the hut.

The explosion was massive. Pieces of wood, branches and leaves of the oak, dirt and dust all swirled in a massive explosive wave sending Naruto in the air.

Naruto covered his eyes as the wave blinded him.

He noticed trees behind him and he landed smoothly on a branch of one.

He didn't wait for the blast to settle down.

Naruto smirked and signaled.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted.

Naruto saw thousand blonde figures in a jonin uniform jump in the air and aiming the hut.

Naruto followed them and drew out four shurinken in each hand. The shadow clones did the same and as one they threw them towards the hut, which was still covered in a huge wave of dust, ashes and smoke.

The shurinken seemed like tiny burning arrows disappearing in the thick smoke the Rasengan had created.

Naruto tied a piece of cloth around his face, as the smoke was too intense.

He landed on the ground stepping on wooden ruins and branches. He could see the shurinken have done their job.

He had used tiny amounts of chakra on each shurinken, as a result he could easily distinguish them in the darkness of the ruins and smoke. He noticed a body lying on the ground. He approached it and saw that he was alive. He was shouting something in a foreign language and grabbing his left arm.

Naruto saw two of his shadow clones helping him out of the smoke.

This is one of ten, he thought.

After some minutes wandering carefully in the smoke, which slowly was fading away, he felt memories and experiences of some of his shadow clones reaching his conscience. They had collected two more people who were in the hut during the explosion.

"Naruto, come back to our start point, now!" Naruto heard Shikamaru's voice through his radio. He held out the little piece of microphone under his vest in front of his mouth.

"Aye!" he said and scanning one last time the ruins, seeing no one left he jumped out of the smoke and landed on another tree.

He moved back in the woods, until he found a small cave beneath tall trees.

He entered seeing Shikamaru and Shizune.

"How was it?" Naruto asked curious to know their opinion of his blastful show.

"Ichirou escaped. Temari and Neji are after him. How many did you collect?" Shikamaru asked after scratching something on the dirt on the ground with a piece of stick.

"Three. My shadow clones hold them." Naruto informed him seriously.

"Great. Let's talk with them." He muttered standing up. His spiky hair reached the ceiling of the cave.

"Shouldn't we help Temari-san and Neji-san?" Naruto wondered.

"We have the chance to learn some information about this Ichirou and I won't miss it. Maybe they know something about Uchiha as well, but I honestly doubt it." Shikamaru said and headed outside of the cave.

When he reached Naruto he patted him on the shoulder.

"Good job!" he said calmly.

Naruto smiled proudly, as did Shizune when she walked past him.

Togeher they headed back to the destroyed hut. The smoke had faded away uncovering a pile of everything. Ruins of the hut and half of the oak scattered. Naruto saw ten of his shadow clones standing in a circle. When they approached, Naruto saw three men, all wearing the thunder badge. They were all injured in different parts.

Shikamaru kneeled in front of one who seemed to be the most active of the three. His short hair was covered with dirt and a deep cut run fresh across his left cheek.

"You work for Ichirou?" Shikamaru demanded.

Naruto felt always a chill down his spine when he heard Shikamaru use this piercing tone. He rarely used it and only on special occasions during missions.

The thunder shinobi looked up at Shikamaru and smirked.

"Answer me." Shikamaru said balancing on the tip of his feet, elbows on knees, as he was watching the thunder shinobi on the same eye level.

The shinobi spit on Shikamaru's sandal and then mumbled something Naruto could not hear.

Shikamaru didn't move at all. He just stared at the shinobi with the most piercing and fierce look. The look a logical person would try to avoid at any cost.

There was silence for a long time. As the thunder shinobi's breathe got heavier, Naruto noticed that moment that he was bleeding all this time at his right thigh. A pool of blood under him.

Shikamaru cracked his knuckles not leaving his stare from the man.

The man frowned and his face tightened as the bleeding was getting more intense. Naruto could see the pain taking him over.

He frowned and noticed with the corner of his eye Shizune flinch.

Shikamaru was motionless staring at the thunder shinobi crying with pain.

"I have all the time of the world." Shikamaru said calmly.

The man grunted and raised a fist at Shikamaru but the movement ached him.

"You…!"

"Do you work for Ichirou?" Shikamaru asked now impatiently.

"Yes!" the man hissed.

"And does he work for Madara Uchiha?"

The man froze looking at Shikamaru shocked.

"Well, does he?"

"Yes." The man almost whispered.

"Is he here?"

"Yes!"

"In the village?"

The thunder shinobi looked up at Shikamaru. He was crying with pain and opened his mouth saying nothing.

He just nodded after a few moments.

"Shizune heal him. We'll take him back home. He knows things." Shikamaru ordered and walked away from the three hostages.

Naruto was lost. His mind was traveling in a dark tunnel when he saw two Sharingan eyes staring at him, and a piercing laughter. Full of anger and hatred.

"Naruto, are you alright?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto looked at him and nodded not sure how he felt.

So Madara Uchiha _was_ here…

"We must find Temari-san and Neji-san and inform them. It's too dangerous for them wandering alone. Ichirou could be leading them to a trap and I didn't see it!" Shikamaru grunted and looked at Shizune.

"Keep only this guy. Let your shadow clones watch over him. We must find Temari and Neji." Shikamaru said looking once at Shizune and then at Naruto.

Naruto and Shizune nodded in agreement and the three of them fled in the woods following Temari and Neji's trails into the forest.

___________

"Wait!" Neji said harshly and signaled at Temari next to him to stop.

They halted watching towards the darkness between the trees.

Neji grunted scanning the area with his Byakugan. He had lost them. They were nowhere to be seen.

He was sure he had them, a second ago he could see seven pairs of chakra, Ichirou with the strongest chakra included, but now they had vanished.

Like suddenly their chakra had been erased from the earth. That could only mean one thing, he thought and felt his limbs numb.

"What is it?" Temari asked worried noticing his expression alter into uncertainty.

"I-I can't see them!" he gasped and feared if they had found a way of fooling his Byakugan. But how…

"Hyuga!" Temari shouted and landed in front of him with the speed of sound reflecting a rain of kunais aimed towards them.

Neji grunted and saw the kunais coming from an invisible source. No chakra visible.

Naji signaled feeling anger awakening inside of him as he couldn't see the attacker.

"Earth Style Underground Phantom Jutsu!" he shouted and felt the earth beneath him quake.

Focusing towards the direction from where the kunais came he knew someone had to be there in order to throw them so he guided his creation from underground towards that spot.

A loud growl was echoed in the dark forest and Neji could distinguish his own chakra in a form of a huge phantom float under the earth like being in the air and exploded at the spot where the kunais came from.

The chakra of his creation vanished and waited to see who had so successfully fooled his Byakugan.

"Show yourself!" Neji shouted.

Silence came as a response.

Suddenly Temari grunted in pain as a shinobi had grabbed her from behind.

Neji noticed the thunder badge around his right shoulder. He was definitely one of Ichirou's men.

"You stupid people. You know who you're dealing with, are you?" he asked laughing tightening his grip around Temari's throat.

She let an unsounded scream and Neji noticed her choking.

He knew he would be surrounded, although his Byakugan was seeing nothing.

He stared at the one visible thunder shinobi.

"So, can't see anyone, can you?" he continued laughing harder.

Temari was trying to keep eye contact with Neji, and he noticed that she was trying to communicate with him.

He saw that she turned to look at specific points around her, towards the woods.

She was pointing at the other thunder shinobi he couldn't see, but she could.

He looked at the thunder shinobi in front of him and thought of Ten Ten who had given him days ago a perfect present.

Neji drew out a small scroll from one of the pockets of his jonin uniform and signaled.

The scroll opened up like a huge ribbon and the air was suddenly filled with different kinds of weapons, kunais, shurinken, katanas, falchions, kusarigamas and axes.

Neji saw the shocked face of the thunder shinobi and with his chakra took control of the weapons guiding them through the woods, at the exact points where Temari had shown him.

Temari took the chance to free herself and jumped in the air above the thunder shinobi.

Some new shinobi appeared next to them and suddenly Neji and Temari, touching their backs, were surrounded by six thunder shinobi.

Neji couldn't still see their chakra networks, only Temari's. He frowned noticing that in front of him stood the larger man of them all. He wore a long black cloak and underneath it the formal military uniform of the Land of Thunder. His fierce characteristics were all died with white paint, but his eyes and mouth was painted in black. It looked like he was wearing a mask with the first impression. An evil smile beamed across his face.

"So you are the Hyuga, huh?" the man with the painted face spoke. His voice sounded like a beast's growl.

Neji felt Temari behind him shake.

The man laughed. Some of his fellow men laughed as well.

Neji tried to think of his next move. But he couldn't think straight under this guy's intense stare.

"How did you fool it? My Byakugan." Neji asked, his voice loud and clear.

Temari grunted silently.

The man smirked.

"Let's say I've got a friend who knows of your bloodline, Hyuga." He said and made a step forward.

"It's simple if you think of it. Your Byakugan distinguishes life in every being right? As a result everyone's and everything's chakra network. So using a jut-!"

"Why does he have to know, Ichirou-san?" Neji turned to see from where the new voice came from.

He felt Temari behind him gasp and shake even more.

"What is it?" Neji whispered.

"He's here!" she whispered back, her voice trembling.

Neji froze when another dark cloaked man walked next to him and stood in front of Ichirou.

Neji felt the ground beneath him disappear as those piercing eyes were watching him. Two red eyes, two bright eyes, the only light in this dark place.

The Sharingan…


	18. 18Waves

**Good evening dear readers :)**

**I'm wondering if i'm sending the chapters too quickly, but... they're ready so why keep you waiting, right? lol**

**The story begins with another imaginary journey of Sakura's, i really enjoy writing those! I suggest you listen to the song "truly, madly, deeply" of Cascada while reading this!**

**HAVE FUN!**

The darkness had surrounded her and the air felt heavy.

Giving greater effort to breathe, she tried to see. See something. Anything.

Nothing was visible, but bright white freckles, distant shapes in the pure darkness.

She raised her hand trying to reach what she thought was up, as her head was spinning.

The freckles of light seemed like clouds. And suddenly the air felt easier to inhale.

A smile appeared on her face. Her cheeks ached slightly, like her muscles of her face had grown numb. Like it had been a long, long time since she had last smiled.

The darkness started to fade away as different colors appeared like ribbons drifted by a cool breeze.

She lifted both her arms and felt like a bird in the sudden wind.

Happiness and lightness filled her, bringing her back to life.

Back to a life where everything was beautiful, colorful, simple and… magical.

She swirled and laughed. She laughed because she was happy.

Happy for feeling all the good things in life.

Happy for living.

Happy for having all those beautiful people in her life: Sasuke, Naruto, Tsunade, Chie, Shizune, her parents, Kakashi…

Happy for being who she was.

She opened her eyes and saw the freckles having transformed into real pearl clouds, the darkness have brighten up, light blue. A bright sun warming her skin.

Her body was strong and her spirit was blossoming with all these wonderful feelings that had awakened.

She swirled again and again and again, until she fell down landing on something that felt soft and warm.

She saw sand grains, glowing gold under the sunrays.

Waves were crushing near her.

She just lay there listening to the sea kissing gently the shore, the sand frazzling as she was playing with it with her fingers.

It felt like the earth beneath her was radiating its warmth and energy to her. She stared at the sailing clouds and felt all this excitement take over her and she fell asleep.

A warm hand on her cheek. A kiss on her forehead. And everything was vanished in the mystical world of dreams.

____________

Kakashi was watching his former teammate checking on Sakura, sitting beside her on the bed.

He was leaning by the doorway and watched once at his student as she lay peaceful and once at Rin who was offering her chakra to Sakura. The dim green light hummed above Sakura's right rib.

It had been two days since Kakashi, Tenzo and Turo had arrived at Rin's house.

All this time felt to have passed too quickly and he still couldn't realize that he was actually living in a reality. That Rin was indeed alive, sitting and breathing a few feet from him, and that Sakura was sound and safe next to her.

He had only few chances to speak with Rin, but he just avoided them. Something held him back, making him feel fear to face her. But she acted the same. She was always busy either with Sakura, or with her daughter Chie or she would lock herself in her herbs' room with the excuse of doing a research.

Kakashi couldn't stop observing her. Every detail on her, on her face, on her behavior. She hadn't changed much. She was too quiet, but perhaps, Kakashi thought, it was because of him. She was nervous every time she stood in the same room with him, as a result Kakashi would preferably spend most of his time outside keeping an eye on any unwelcome guests, like thunder shinobi, or maybe Kuroi, Madara Uchiha's accomplice. Or Madara himself.

Rin was a beautiful woman, only a year older than him. She no longer had the painted markings on her cheeks as she used to have when she was little. The way she moved in her house and acted with her daughter showed how much she had grown. How independent she had become and self-conscious. She had always been a person who would act according to others' orders, she rarely took a decision on her own, but now she was different. She was a real kunoichi.

Kakashi wanted so much to talk with her, like friends who hadn't seen each other for such a long time.

Her sudden disappearance though was always on his mind, making him feel frustrated. Why had she let him think she was dead. She had disappeared like that, after Obito's death and never returned. Never gave a sign of her existence. Just let him there. Alone.

He felt the urge to shout at her. Ask her why. Why did she leave. Why did she leave him alone. Why did she find a life somewhere faraway and have a family, while he was stuck all alone cursing every single day for being so alone…

So selfish...

Every day he visited his best friend's grave, his sensei's grave, the non-existing grave of Rin.

Every day he would drown himself in this tormenting loneliness, wishing he had died with them. Wishing he was lying there next to them. So that they could be together forever. Minato-sensei's team…

Together…

But _no!_ She was alive, perfectly alive in front of him touching and attending Sakura. She had saved her. She had healed her.

Kakashi was shaking and he grunted silently walking away from the heavy atmosphere of this house.

He opened the door forcefully ending up in the backyard with a view towards an afternoon sky and sand hills and waves crushing on them.

He had seen Tenzo, Turo and Chie sitting there with the corner of his eye, but didn't care.

He just walked and walked away from everyone.

He was staring at the purple sky and the golden clouds like he was trying to reach them by walking as fast as he could towards them.

Kakashi hadn't realized that now he was running. The sand beneath him sank with every step. Like the earth wanted to suck him and drown him in his torture.

Kakashi hadn't realized that he was crying. The diamond tears falling on his mask. He couldn't feel like himself anymore.

He wasn't who he thought he was.

He felt mad. He felt like the world was suddenly plotting against him. Like everything was happening on purpose, just to torture him.

The path of life he was following had turned out to be dark, filled with obstacles and hidden traps. Filled with the blackest clouds and the heaviest rain, the greatest lightning and thunders. The calm sound of the waves echoed in his ears like a massive earthquake and the breeze like a gigantic hurricane.

Kakashi ripped the mask from his face down forcefully and took off his Konoha badge.

His skin felt cold exposed in the ocean's spray.

He stopped and felt his breathe piercing him. His heart pounding harder and harder with every darkest thought.

He fell on the sand and watched the waves crushing in front of him. The cold water touched his knees slightly and he felt a chill down his spine.

The panting was calming down as he was lost staring at the waves coming towards him, one after the other. Like they were hands trying to reach him. To soothe him. To help him.

He leaned and let his right hand sink in the next gentle wave.

It felt soothing indeed.

He sighed and felt lighter.

The ocean extended to the golden horizon and the color of the sea to his right seemed to sparkle like a turquoise diamond.

Kakashi saw every thought in his head drown with her image, his memories of her. Of Sakura.

The one beautiful person who had made him feel that life _could _be magical. That was her eyes' color. Like the sea. Clear greenish, but blue as well.

Staring at him, smiling at him.

I have to be strong for her at least, he thought.

Another wave reached his knees, this time reaching his ankles as well.

_Sakura…_

What more did he need. He had Sakura in his life and she needed him, because he would protect her, no matter what. He would be there for her whenever she wanted.

I will…

Kakashi let his head fall on his chest and sat there by the sea watching the sunset.

It was many moments later, when the sky was darker and the sun had vanished into the abyss of the ocean, that Kakashi heard footsteps approaching him from behind. They were light, but steady.

He saw a figure sit next to him, where the waves reached them.

"This is something you don't see in Konoha." a deep voice said.

Kakashi looked next to him. Tenzo was staring at the dark horizon.

Kakashi nodded. He didn't even think of hiding his exposed face. Tenzo had seen him like that before.

And he wanted to feel the chill on his face.

They stayed silent for a long time, until the first stars made their appearance.

"How is Sakura?" Kakashi asked in an undertone, not wanting to disturb the calm silence of this beautiful place.

"Much better. She recovers fast. She first opened her eyes today." Tenzo answered.

Kakashi glanced at him. He was smiling slightly.

"That's great news." Kakashi muttered, feeling a little frustrated with himself for missing it.

"Yeah, finally." Tenzo said and leaned backwards on his palms.

Kakashi watched the ripples on the sea's surface glow like silver serpents under the newly arised moon.

"Tenzo…" Kakashi started but his mind went blank. He wanted to talk, but he couldn't. He was never good at talking about his own problems.

"Life can be cruel sometimes. Too cruel. But if you can see the presents life gives as well, you will understand. With every bad appears a good. But the bad always drives us mad, takes us down a dark road, as a result you cannot see the good that comes with it. This little tiny present life gives us." Tenzo spoke.

"I can't see it, Tenzo."

"Of course you can. You're just afraid to open it. I won't lie, I won't say I understand what you're going through, but I can guide you, as you have guided me so many times in the past. I suggest you forget about Sakura-chan, forget about Madara and Kuroi, about Obito-san. Think of all you want to say to this present life brought you. Think of Rin-san and talk to her. Tell her what you feel."

"She's not the Rin I knew, Tenzo."

"You can't leave it like that, Kakashi. She _is _alive and she is here. Take this chance. Let her back in your life. Why do you deny this present?"

Kakashi sighed silently not taking his eye off the sea, as he kept his Sharingan shut. He could feel warm tears forming.

"Imagine if Sakura-chan and Naruto had the chance to see Sasuke again, do you think they'd let this chance go to waste?"

Kakashi froze and looked at Tenzo.

He could have left his students out of this, especially Sakura, he thought intensively.

Tenzo must have noticed his annoyance, as he looked away from him.

"I'm sorry. I just… if I had the chance to see my sister again I… I wouldn't waste a single second away from her." He said silently. His gaze darkened.

Kakashi looked at him. His brown eyes were shining.

Tenzo had lost his sister when he was a young boy, before Orochimaru had used him in his experiments years ago. She had died in a mission and since then Tenzo was left alone in the world. But it only gave him even more determination to become the strongest shinobi in Konoha.

Kakashi looked up to his courage. To his passion about his job. About his life.

And he was right. He was acting too selfishly, thinking only of the problems Rin's sudden disappearance had caused him. He couldn't see that she _was _here, having her reasons for leaving and he _did _want to let her back in his life. To be part of her life. He cared about her.

"I'm not myself lately." Kakashi admitted and hid his face in his wet palms. They tasted of salt.

Tenzo wiped a tear from his own face and chuckled.

"I noticed. But even before you met Chie. I know, what happened to Sakura-chan was terrible. We all acted carelessly."

"I acted even more carelessly, Tenzo. I… I haven't been myself ever since…!" Kakashi froze, not knowing if he should tell or not.

If he revealed this secret, would it hurt. He trusted Tenzo and he knew that if he _did _tell, it would never reach another pair of ears, but saying it out loud meant that… it was true. That his feelings of affection about Sakura were true.

Kakashi felt Tenzo's stare. Kakashi couldn't move his lips to speak. His eye drowned in the silver sea.

"Ever since Sakura returned!"

Tenzo didn't move.

Kakashi looked at him anxious to read his reaction.

He didn't look shocked or annoyed or angry. But Kakashi realized he hadn't told something inappropriate. It sounded perfectly normal for a sensei to feel nervous ever since a student of his returned after an absence of three years.

Kakashi suddenly felt the need to tell him. To let someone know of his feelings, so that he could maybe help him. Ease the burden he carried.

Kakashi looked at the sea.

"I care about her more than… more than a teacher should." He said simply feeling a wave reaching his feet and palms.

This time he avoided looking straight into Tenzo's eyes. He could feel his stare and could hear his breathing getting more silent.

"What do you mean?" he asked after some moments.

Kakashi saw that he was frowning and wore a questioning expression.

Kakashi felt a strange heaviness in his throat.

"I… Sakura means much more to me than… what she should. I don't see her like my student anymore." Kakashi said a little forcefully.

This time Tenzo understood and his eyes were ready to burst out. His mouth hung dead and he tried to speak, but no sound echoed. Only the waves and splashes in the sea.

"You… _what_?" Tenzo gasped his hands turned to tight fists.

Kakashi regretted this moment of telling. He knew what he felt was wrong, but now, having to listen to someone else lecturing him about this inappropriateness felt like a thunder striking him.

"Kakashi, why?"

Kakashi was surprised with this question. He looked at Tenzo.

_Why_… how could he know. It just… happened. Kakashi remembered the first dream he ever had of Sakura and the intense scent of fruity sweetness he had felt. This is _when_, he thought, but _why…_

He didn't know exactly, it just felt right for him. Suddenly his whole existence felt like feeding from her, like she was the energy for him. She was the light in his dark life. She was everything he looked up to. She was better in everything than him. More courageous, more powerful, more decisive, more… everything. He simply adored her.

Kakashi froze as he thought those words.

_He adored her_.

He did.

He didn't want anything in return. Having her in his life was more than enough. Just seeing her every day would be more than enough for him. She didn't need to know. She didn't need to feel the same for him, something Kakashi truly doubted would ever happen.

To protect her and make her happy, this is what he had promised to her and himself.

"Kakashi, are you serious?" Tenzo said forcing Kakashi to look at him by grabbing his shoulder.

Kakashi looked at him, Sakura on his mind.

"Yes." He said simply noticing the impact it had on his friend.

Tenzo's hand fell in the water beneath them. The tide was rising and they were now sitting in the water.

"And…what will you do?" Tenzo asked, but frowned. "Don't tell me you'll tell…!"

"No! No way. You know I can't. And I won't." Kakashi shot harshly. For a second he wished he could. He could tell her. Just give her a hint. Just so she could know.

But he couldn't, it was wrong. She was who she was: his student, twelve years younger than him, and she's been through too much. Too much for her age. And her heart was given away a long time ago. To Sasuke…

"Kakashi, please, concentrate on Rin-san and we shall speak of this matter when you've cleared your mind." Tenzo said seriously.

Kakashi looked at him.

"I… Kakashi this could destroy your career, your life, if it spreads out!" Tenzo said standing up. His uniform was soaking wet up to his waist.

Kakashi stood up as well, watching his friend into his eyes. He looked and sounded angry.

"My mouth will never say these words. And I hope yours will not as well." Kakashi said not blinking as he stared at Tenzo.

Tenzo hesitated and grunted as he put his hands on his hips. His frowning gaze turned to the sea and the reflecting stars and moon on it. He seemed lost in his thoughts for a long moment.

Kakashi knew that Tenzo wouldn't say a word, but this reaction disappointed him. He actually awaited from him to shout at him. To lecture him. Maybe then Kakashi would finally think clearly of this situation. But Tenzo was too calm, too thoughtful.

Tenzo looked back at him. His face calmed down.

"Kakashi, I won't say a word. But I beg you to not let yourself loose in these thoughts. They will only destroy you. And if you ever try to tell or show anything of this to Sakura I'll stop you. And then you'll have to deal with me!" he said warningly.

"Thank you! I can't get over this on my own." Kakashi said looking at his feet, the water reaching him up to his ankles.

"Does anybody else know?" Tenzo asked looking uncomfortable.

"No, you're the first one I tell this to."

"Good." Tenzo sighed and looked back at the sea. "Let's keep it this way."

Kakashi pulled up his mask and tied his Konoha badge covering his Sharingan.

Together they walked back to Rin's house.

The night was cold, but calm and silent. The sea was barely moving and the stars were sparkling on the velvet black sky.

Kakashi felt somehow better, knowing that Tenzo would help him with Sakura's matter and it gave him courage. That he wouldn't act carelessly again.

When the lights of the house were visible Kakashi felt a heaviness in his stomach remembering his other problem. Rin.

Tenzo was right to that as well.

Rin had been a precious part of his life and she still was. They had to talk, they had to get over this strange uncomfortable atmosphere between them. They had been part of the same team, they had been good friends, they both loved Obito so much. They had been through so much together.

Kakashi sighed silently reaching the stairs that led to the back door of Rin's house. They heard talking and laughter.

Tenzo and Kakashi looked at each other.

"Can you handle it?" Tenzo asked.

Kakashi hardly smiled.

"I must."

Tenzo gave him a compassionate smile and he opened the door.


	19. 19Embrace

Tenzo and Kakashi opened the back door entering Rin's house by the sea, south of the Village of the Golden Path. They faced Chie who was watching them cautiously holding a plate with cookies, which smelled delicious.

She beamed when she saw their faces and with little jumps made her way to Rin's bedroom, Sakura's bedroom for the last two days. Kakashi glanced at Tenzo next to him as they heard familiar voices echoing from the room.

Chie gestured them to the bedroom.

"Honestly, Sakura-san had to wake up to hear some laughter in this gloomy house!" Chie laughed and disappeared behind the door.

Kakashi felt like entering the cool sea after the hottest day. He couldn't help but smile, when he felt a sudden grip at his right forearm.

"Kakashi, be careful!" Tenzo hissed leaning to his ear and walked in front of him.

Kakashi, taken aback, froze for a moment. He stood there watching Tenzo wear his casual sympathetic smile and stood by Rin's bedroom door greeting everyone inside.

Kakashi followed slowly and took a deep breath.

She would be there, she would look at him, she would talk to him, she would smile at him. He felt dizzy and afraid.

He heard laughter from Chie and Turo's deep chuckle.

Tenzo had entered and was standing beside the bed, hiding Kakashi's view of her. He walked a little closer, too aware of every step he made.

It would be the first time he would have to face her after truly realizing how he felt about her. How deep into his soul these feelings had reached. His stomach felt like being tickled and his head got warm.

Suddenly he heard her laughter and he froze.

She was perfectly fine, he thought and smiled under his mask. He looked down at his feet when he noticed Rin's stare and that's when he realized that his half uniform was soaking wet. He glanced at Tenzo, he was wet as well.

He glanced at Rin, who obviously had noticed their mess.

He was about to apologize, but she smiled at him and raised her hand, telling him she didn't mind.

Kakashi smiled slightly and turning his head he noticed the view less dark. Tenzo had sited himself on an armchair next to the bed and now, Sakura was there in front of him, beaming with a smile, her eyes sparkling. Just like the sea.

He tried to swallow in vain.

"Hey, Sakura!" he could only say.

Somehow he felt his palms sweating and his legs shaking, like being a teenager in love.

Kakashi shove off that thought faraway into his mind trying to look casual. But it was too hard. Everybody was watching him. He hated it. He hated it having no control over his surroundings, over his feelings.

____________

"Kakashi-sensei, how are you?" Sakura asked, feeling more than happy to see all her teammates sound and safe. Although Kakashi-sensei looked a little lost, she knew perfectly well what the reason was. Seeing him smile at Rin made her feel glad. Somehow she was the reason for bringing them together and she couldn't stop feeling proud for herself.

Kakashi looked at her for a short moment before answering.

"I'm fine, thank you! How are you feeling?" he asked calmly. Sakura noticed Yamato staring at Kakashi like he was waiting anxiously about something.

Kakashi glanced at his friend and then back to Sakura.

"Much better. Numb, but, I guess, alive." Sakura joked and chuckled. Kakashi turned his back to her and leaned on the opposite wall.

"If it wasn't for Kakashi-sama's few medical techniques you'd be probably still sleeping!" Turo said smiling widely.

Kakashi was staring at him like he wanted to punch him.

Sakura chuckled and looked at her sensei. She knew he would protect her, do anything to save her. As would Yamato and Turo, she thought.

"Let's forget about these things. They belong to the past, now we are all healthy and alive, and must focus on our mission, right?" Yamato said quickly, looking nervous.

Sakura looked at each of her teammates. They all seemed to look good, only she could clearly sense a tension between Yamato and Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded in response.

"You're right, Tenzo-sama, but let us enjoy Rin-san's hospitality and rest. We have a long way ahead of us." Turo said rubbing his little beard on his chin.

"Until Sakura-chan is able to fight again. We cannot waste more time resting. No offence Rin-san, but our mission is considered of high priority and we've already lost a lot of time." Yamato excused himself.

Sakura noticed Chie next to her offering her some fresh and warm cookies.

"Oh, thanks Chie-chan!" she said and grabbed two pieces. They smelled wonderful.

Sakura tried to remember details from their battle with the thunder shinobis. She could remember every detail with her fight with the red-bearded thunder shinobi, his earth and wood style techniques. But only blurry memories came into her mind of the scary thunder kunoichi. She remembered Kakashi-sensei kneeling and hiding his Sharingan in his palms. He was in pain. She remembered the pouring rain and the cold piercing her insides. The pain in her lung, how her heart ached every time she breathed.

Kakashi-sensei, he had saved her, or else the thunder kunoichi would have killed her. Or else she wouldn't be here…

She noticed that she hadn't touched the cookie, holding it in front of her mouth frozen. She looked up to Kakashi-sensei and noticed him flinch when their eyes crossed paths.

"May I ask what…what happened when this kunoichi appeared? When she summoned the Chidori. I can't recall what happened since." Sakura said seriously putting the cookie back on her lap.

Kakashi kept his eye fixed on her. It felt like he was examining her from that distance. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest and approached the bed where Sakura was sitting.

"You don't have to worry about her anymore. Nor her partners. At least not the ones we faced." He said simply.

"So they worked for…"

"Yes." Kakashi answered harshly.

Sakura remembered about their compromise. Sakura would be allowed to let Chie help them with their mission, but she would never know of the details of it. Sakura felt a little ashamed with her carelessness.

"It's ok." Kakashi muttered, reading her expression, and walked to the back of the room, like he wanted to keep a safe distance from everyone.

Sakura noticed Rin fidgeting and looking at Chie.

Sakura looked back at her sensei remembering the problem his Sharingan had caused and knew that it was time to do something about it.

She tried to lift herself on the bed and leaned to Rin next to her. Her right rib stinged for a second.

"Don't move hastily, Sakura-chan." Rin shot pushing Sakura back on the bed.

"Rin-san, do you remember about the matter we had talked about a long time ago?" Sakura asked silently looking into Rin's chocolate eyes.

She knew everyone had heard her, but right now Kakashi's health was her priority. If they were to go on with the mission soon, they had to first attend this matter. Kakashi's health was at risk.

Rin nodded noticing Sakura's glance towards Kakashi.

"You tell him." Rin whispered to her.

Sakura nodded and smiled at Yamato who was trying to unstuck his wet uniform from his thighs.

"Were you on a swim?" she asked him.

Yamato smiled hardly.

"Yeah, it was too cold though!" he said and glanced at Kakashi.

Rin stood up and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders. Chie's lips and cheeks were covered with chocolate from the cookies.

"Let us leave Sakura to rest. It has been a hard day for her." Rin announced and waited by the door as everyone was about to leave.

"Rest Sakura-san! Tomorrow I'll force you to train with me!" Turo joked and waved at her before leaving passed Rin.

Yamato and Kakashi smiled at her when they reached the door.

Rin stepped back when Kakashi reached her.

"Ehm, do you mind attending Sakura? Focus on her ribs. Bones need more energy to heal than organs." Rin asked avoiding his stare.

Kakashi turned his head nervously and nodded. He stood there by the door as Rin closed the door behind her.

"Good night, Sakura-san!" Sakura heard Chie's voice call from the living room.

Sakura chuckled with the girl's energy. Sometimes she acted totally like a thirteen year old, but when in battle she would transform. Noone would ever think she is only a child. Her confidence, her techniques, her experience. She was so different from Sakura when she was in her age.

Kakashi approached slowly Sakura and sat by her legs on the bed.

"Kakashi-sensei, there is something you must know, but… I guess you already have a clue by now." Sakura began feeling strange having to be the one to say it. Rin should. She was a much better medical kunoichi and she had actually discovered the problem. But she understood her as well. Being near her former teammate with whom she had been for such a long time in love was too much for her at the moment to handle.

Rin had never actually told her, but she knew. She had found out from the first time Rin had spoken of him. The way she smiled thinking of him, the warm words she used. It was crystal clear.

Sakura felt Kakashi's stare and looked up at him.

"What are you talking about, Sakura?" Kakashi asked frowning.

"A-About your Sharingan." Sakura said and waited to see if Kakashi knew what she was talking about. He leaned towards her.

"What about it?" he asked his voice sounding deeper than normal.

"It obviously caused you trouble during the battle with the thunder kunoichi, right? I remember you being in… pain and you were holding your left eye."

"It was my head." Kakashi shot, sounding annoyed.

"Kakashi-sensei, it's your Sharingan! Your body can't accept it."

"Sakura it's been more than fifteen years ago that I got my Sharingan. Don't you think if my body couldn't accept it, it would have happened long ago?" Kakashi said leaning back again.

"Did you face problems with the Sharingan only now? I mean, never before? Can you recall any moments during those fifteen years when your eye ached, or your head?" Sakura asked impatiently. This time she leaned towards him.

Kakashi looked worried. Sakura knew the answer already.

She felt her heart beat faster.

"We should focus on you."

"Kakashi! It may kill you!" Sakura said louder than she wished to. Kakashi froze staring at her.

His eye flickered and looked around the room, before fixing on her again.

"Did Rin tell you this?" he asked.

Sakura tried to read his expression, but it was empty. Like too many feelings were combined on the little part of his face that was visible.

"You know she would never want you to get hurt. It's for your own good!" Sakura tried to reason her friend's mother.

"Then why didn't she tell me herself? What do _you_ have to do with this?" Kakashi asked. He didn't sound angry, neither calm.

"I think you know the answer to that. And it's none of my business, I know that as well." Sakura said apologetically.

"Do you know about…him?" Kakashi asked, this time his voice was the tone she knew. The one she had known for so many years. Controlled, calm and teacher-like.

"Yes. Rin-san told me."

"Is this why you gave this gift to Obito's grave? The yellow rose?"

Sakura looked at him feeling a strange heaviness in her stomach. She felt tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm really sorry, I should never ask about him. I should never enter this way someone's personal life. I'm really sorry."

Kakashi came closer, sitting next to her by her waist.

"Sakura, I don't mind you knowing about Obito. But I have to admit I felt… angry when I saw that you knew Rin and her daughter." he paused, his eye searching Sakura's face. "When did you meet her?"

Sakura felt lighter with his words. He sounded calm now, like they were discussing about something normal, like a mission, or Naruto's craziness.

"A year ago. I had met Chie in the Land of Snow and she called me to her home. One day I was talking to Rin-san about Naruto, Sasuke… and you and then she started asking questions. Questions concerning you. She asked me one day about your Sharingan and this is when she told me. About the problem that could eventually arise. That your body wouldn't accept it and that it… could prove fatal." Sakura said silently.

"Is this her research then?" Kakashi asked and chuckled.

Sakura wiped a tear of hers away and felt nice hearing this sound.

"Well, she works on many researches. She travels around in hospitals and sells her herbal medicines. She's really good! Can you imagine Rin-san and Tsunade-sama working together? The result would be unbelievable!" Sakura chuckled as did Kakashi.

"Yeah, I can imagine that!" Kakashi said, his mask twitched.

He looked back at her looking more cheerful. Sakura smiled at him.

"Could I at least examine you? I mean, Rin-san and me. Just to see if there is indeed any damage."

Kakashi sighed and, elbows on knees, sat thoughtful for a moment.

"What exactly could be the problem?" he asked and looked at Sakura.

"Every transplantation has its risks. According to the few details I know from the circumstances under which you were given the Sharingan…" Sakura paused for a moment noticing Kakashi's stare darken. "…well, it could have killed you that moment. It's not easy doing transplantation on the field with no proper knowledge and equipment. Rin-san was really young back then and the best medic-nin would not be able to do a perfect transplantation. The Sharingan is a special ability which runs only in the Uchiha-clan. It's an important part of their genes. I studied the Sharingan's history. It's much different from the Hyugas' Byakugan. The Sharingan will appear in every Uchiha member, whether their body can accept it or not, whereas with the Byakugan it's the opposite. There are Hyugas who don't possess the Byakugan. Few though. The Uchihas whose body cannot live with the Sharingan… they die in a very young age, or they just never get to activate it, being thought as disgrace in their clan. So, you can understand that you are lucky to be alive carrying the Sharingan, being no Uchiha. It matters that you only have one Sharingan. But still it destroys you from the inside. It may have caused you headaches, stings in the back of your head, even fevers, disorientation and loss of memory perhaps. Have you experienced all these?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi looked at her motionless.

He simply nodded and looked at his feet.

"Ehm, were you for a swim as well?" Sakura laughed for a minute as she felt her legs cold.

Kakashi stood up rapidly.

"Oh, forgive me. I'll bring new sheets and blankets. Are you cold?" he said quickly and it made Sakura smile widely.

"It's alright. I don't mind for now."

"If you catch a cold, it'll be my fault. Wait!" Kakashi said and opened by luck a wardrobe and saw only clothes. He quickly closed it realizing it was Rin's clothes and opened one of the lower drawers. He took out some new sheets and a red blanket.

Sakura smiled witnessing, perhaps, for the first time such a nervous side of her sensei.

"Can you get up?" Kakashi asked pulling away from Sakura the wet blanket.

She nodded and slowly moved. Her rib pierced and unwillingly let out a cry of pain.

"Wait!" Kakashi said and put his arm around her back to help her stand up.

"It doesn't help at all if you're lying two days straight!" Sakura joked and grunted when she tried to stand up, feeling the warm arm of him around her back touching her side, like it almost did back during the battle with the thunder ninjas. She felt her throat dry remembering his hand sliding under her shirt.

"May I?" Kakashi said and kneeled on the floor.

Sakura felt strange watching him place his arms under her legs and her back. She held herself from his neck and found her face too close to his. Her lips were inches from his mask and she could easily feel the warmth from his exhaling. He was so warm and the way he lifted her and moved her made her have butterflies in her stomach.

She knew she had blushed and tried to look away. She could feel him everywhere. The room around her was spinning around her. She could smell his scent and feel his chest moving as he breathed. She noticed then that he was not wearing his vest no more and her side felt every detail of his chest.

She felt her heart beat faster and wished he couldn't hear it.

Kakashi placed her softly on a red armchair and he returned to the bed changing sheets and blankets. He placed some towels at the spot where it was wet and put the rest of sheets on a pile by the door.

"I'll collect them later. Are you alright?" Kakashi asked approaching her.

Sakura, still dizzy from what she had felt looked up at him and nodded simply.

What's wrong with me, she thought.

She noticed that moment the ocean outside the window glowing like a smooth silver carpet reaching the velvet black sky and its sparkling little stars. It was such a beautiful view and for a moment she wished she could bathe in it. Drown in this perfect silence and be part of its magic.

She noticed Kakashi observing her and he grinned under his mask.

"I promise you tomorrow to take you there, but now you must rest." He said and was about to carry her back to her bed, but she moved quickly.

"N-No, I'll try to walk!"

If he took her in his arms again, she would not be able to restrain herself and fall in his embrace. That was the last thing she should do.

Besides, if they were going the next day to the sea, he didn't really expect to carry her all the way.

Sakura grunted feeling her legs ache all over from the numbness.

She fell back on the armchair.

"Try to rub them." He suggested standing motionless next to her.

Sakura did the exact thing and rubbed her thighs and feet. It felt like a thousand stabs all over. She stretched them and felt her nightdress lift up dangerously. She pulled it down and tried to stand once more.

It felt better this time, but still it felt too much for her body to stand straight and put all her weight on her feet. She grunted and managed the few steps up to the bed. Kakashi was following her, his hands shot forward every time she was about to fall, but she succeeded and fell on the bed.

She chuckled.

"Great! Turo-san wants to train tomorrow. What kind of training will it be? Dodging kunais from the bed?"

Kakashi chuckled and helped her with the blanket.

Sakura was never good with jokes, and she felt strangely proud with Kakashi's reaction.

This time he grabbed a chair and sat next to her, leaning his elbows on his knees. Sakura felt a little disappointed not feeling him by her side, but sitting like that his face was much closer to hers. She felt a new blush appear so she turned to look at the perfect view of the night and the ocean.

"Is it better now?" Kakashi asked after a silent moment.

"Yes, yes! Thank you!" she said putting her strands behind her ears.

She felt the world disappear for a moment noticing Kakashi's dark grey eye shine for a moment as he looked deep into hers. He seemed… grateful, even happy. This extra ordinary colour was reflecting the dim silver light from the stars and the moon and for a moment it seemed to Sakura that his eye was silver as well. She felt the urge to touch his eyelid and see if it's real. If he had indeed such a beautiful eye colour. She wondered how he would look like if he had two eyes like that. Glowing, silver tinted with the glow from the moon. Just like the sea was outside the window. Deep and mysterious, beautiful and magical.

Sakura leaned a bit towards him, but the stab in her lung woke her up from this daydream.

She looked quickly away from his eye staring at the red blanket on her lap.

"If you want to rest, you can go. I'm fine!" Sakura said her voice sounding nervous.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head and smiled.

"I actually want to know more about what you've found out about the Sharingan." He said calmly.

Sakura wanted to punch herself for forgetting what they had been talking about some minutes ago.

She sighed silently trying to remember where she was left.

A strand annoyed her eyes and she shoved it off. What had she been saying, definitely not about Kakashi's beautiful eye colour, she thought.

"You asked me if I've experienced headaches, fevers, disorientation and so on." Kakashi said reading her look.

Sakura blushed and nodded nervously.

"Yes, you're right! Ehm, well the real problem lies in your genes. The fact that the Sharingan is not recognized by your body lies in your genes. There is no information about it in your DNA, as a result your body reads it as hostile and tries to fight it, to get rid of it. For all those years your Sharingan tries to actually _be _part of you, so that your body will stop fighting it. This is why you don't have the same speed in possessing the Sharingan's ability as the Uchihas do, because your body and the Sharingan fight each other all the time."

"But I can use the Mangekyo Sharingan in a good level."

"I believe it has to do with the capacity of your chakra. You possess a very strong chakra, compared to shinobi your age and experience. This has helped you have your Sharingan under control, so that it doesn't destroy you from the inside. It's a bit like the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra that could heal Naruto. But it had side effects as well, as you can remember." Sakura paused and moved in the bed.

"Do the headaches get intenser?" she asked worried about his answer.

He nodded.

"Especially when I'm angry or nervous." He said simply, avoiding her stare.

Sakura couldn't imagine Kakashi-sensei nervous, except maybe some seconds ago, but that couldn't have made his head ache.

But still, there was one real reason for him to be nervous, and she was in this very house.

"So when you get emotional it gets worse. I see…"

Kakashi looked up at her with a questioning look.

"The Sharingan is closest to your brain. A major vital organ. The Sharingan affects your brain, as a result your emotions, your thinking, your orientation, maybe even your chakra. Your senses in general."

Kakashi looked really troubled. His eye was observing everything around him, like he was trying to see if all that Sakura said was real. If she was right.

"It consumes my brain. That's what you say."

"Yes."

Sakura wanted to hug him and assure him that he would be alright. He wouldn't die. She wouldn't let him to. She had made this mistake once, but never twice. Never…

"I can heal it, Kakashi-sensei!" she said looking him in the eye.

"Rin-san and I can heal it. I've developed a technique which I learnt during the last year. I'm sure I can do it, but… you must give me your permission."

Kakashi looked at her shocked.

"Sakura, how can you heal it if this thing eats my brain-"

"By connecting your Sharingan to your brain and correcting your genes!"

"My genes? How can anyone _correct _someone's genes. It's not like stitching a new arm, Sakura!" Kakashi said standing up and walked up and down the room. His hands shaking.

"Kakashi, your Sharingan right now is not connected to your brain. It functions thanks to your chakra. By forcing chakra into it you can control it, use genjutsu, the Mangekyo, and the same chakra sends these messages to your brain. This is how it functions. It's like your chakra is the messenger, this is why it is so tiring for you to use it. Rin-san didn't possess the proper ability to do it right. It may have worked perfectly by now, but you can see yourself that it gets worse. And it will only get worse with time, until… Kakashi-sensei, please consider it." Sakura pleaded, not able to imagine what could happen.

Kakashi stared at her and sighed deeply.

"What kind of technique have you developed then?"

He sounded angry, and Sakura felt ashamed. But she would handle it. It was for her sensei's well-being.

It was more than enough to have lost two beloved persons in life, her mother, Sasuke… a third would be too much. She wouldn't take it. She wouldn't let it happen.

"I will connect your Sharingan to your brain. It will be like stitching an arm." Sakura saw the effect on Kakashi using his own choice words against him, but his look stayed the same, grief and serious. "If this works well, you will be able to activate and deactivate it whenever you want. If your body rejects it, I… I will have to need to change your genes and put the information of the Sharingan in them. So that your body will be able to recognize it as part of your body."

"Sakura, have you ever seen a surgery like this before? I don't feel really good of being the experimental piglet."

"You won't, Kakashi-sensei! I'd never risk offering you such a choice if I didn't trust myself on doing this and achieving as well. Of course I'll need all the help available. Rin-san helped me a lot with this technique."

"How will you change my genes?" Kakashi shot harshly.

Sakura swallowed hardly, like something was blocking her airway. She avoided his intense stare.

"I have been doing my own research… on the Sharingan. I wanted to find out what had… what this technique was that S-Sasuke had used to destroy the Nine-Tailed Fox. I… couldn't find it out though, but I've been analyzing the Sharingan and the Uchihas' genes for a while. Rin-san let me use her equipment. I found out interesting things, and Rin-san sent me to a clinic in the north of the Land of Snow. They do research on many such genetic characteristics. The Sharingan is one of them. So they welcomed me and helped me. I heard even the clans themselves had been sponsoring them to improve any flaws of their genetic abilities. The Hyuga-clan belongs to them. Anyway…" Sakura sighed slightly and continued. "… one experiment was considering the mixing and combination of some of those abilities together, but the clans found out so they stopped. There was a huge conflict. As a result the experiments concerning the Sharingan became top secret. I was allowed to study them though. Rin-san is really popular there." Sakura chuckled remembering the months in the clinic. Depressing days of hard work. She hadn't studied like that ever since she had been training under Tsunade.

Kakashi stood still, listening.

"By taking your blood and a DNA sample I'll be able to provide your genes the information of the Sharingan. To sound simple, it'll be like making bitter tea and adding a spoon of sugar to make it perfect. It's a stupid example, and it's definitely not that easy, but I hope you get the meaning."

Sakura looked up to her sensei. He was rubbing his chin frowning.

"I get your meaning, I just know this is not an easy procedure and it will need time. We are on a mission right now and I think we should wait to talk about it once we're back home."

"We may not have this opportunity, Kakashi-sensei! What if Madara Uchiha appears, huh? Your Sharingan only gets worse, you won't be able to use a simple genjutsu. As long you keep it deactivated you can buy time, but you won't last against Madara without it. Whether you want it or not, this mission depends on all of our best abilities. Your Sharingan is one of them, but right now it has only become another problem. It affects you, your senses, your thinking, everything. You're lost if you don't do something!"

"I'm already lost Sakura, and this is why I cannot simply accept your offer. I'm truly touched with your concern, and you are right about the mission, but I can handle it."

"Really? Can you handle Madara Uchiha without your Sharingan?" Sakura said harshly feeling hot inside.

"Who said anything about me not using it?"

"It will kill you, Kakashi! Haven't you been listening to what I have been saying?" Sakura shouted not controlling herself. Her hands were shaking and the veins at the sides of her forehead felt ready to explode.

"Sakura, you're talking about opening my head, connecting the Sharingan to my brain and then, on top of that, mixing my blood with the Uchihas'. Of course I'm denying. I much prefer completing this mission, whether it means I'm dying or not."

"What?" Sakura gasped.

Would he sacrifice himself for the sake of the mission. Sakura couldn't believe what she had heard. Kakashi _had_ changed. And she wondered why. Why would he risk the mission, and his teammates' lives. Maybe he didn't trust her, or maybe he thought that facing Madara Uchiha meant that he'd die eventually in battle. With or without the Sharingan.

Sakura wanted to punch the wall and talk some sense into him. He wasn't who she thought he was. He acted… selfishly. He was so narrow-minded. He was never like that. Was it another effect of the Sharingan.

Sakura stood up, not paying attention at the stabs and stings all over her body, especially her right rib.

She felt dizzy for a moment, but found herself fast. She wanted to face Kakashi, although he was much taller than her, she wanted to show him her superiority on this matter. They both knew that Sakura was the superior now.

"Lay down, Sakura!" Kakashi suggested, his voice softer.

"Listen to me first! I don't know why on earth you act like this, but listen to me. This mission has to do with the strongest shinobi in the five great shinobi countries. Maybe we will have to face him and, of course, _you_ will jump to the front and fight him. Sacrifice yourself. Well, do you want _my_ opinion? This is stupid! It would be completely silly of you to give in like this. We have to work together, combine our strength and hope we will make it. But to do that, we all have to be at our best. I'm still not able to move, so definitely not able to fight either. So we have some time. We have enough time to work on your problem. Kakashi, I'm talking about letting the Sharingan be a real part of you. Something you can use as your own, something you can control whenever you want. I can understand what it means to you, the Sharingan, but it's been killing you slowly. It's time you look over yourself for once. Please!"

Kakashi lowered his gaze and moved his feet, his hands in his pockets, deeply lost in his own thoughts.

Sakura approached him and was about to grab his hand, but held back the last moment. Kakashi noticed it and looked her in the eyes. Sakura didn't mind about the tears falling down her cheeks, or the blush all over her face. She only cared about her sensei. Make him see, make him understand…

"Please!" Sakura said behind a sob and looked at him. She moved her lips to say something, but no words would come out. She felt suddenly too weak. She wished she had more power and courage to persuade him. She couldn't lose him as well. Not another loss.

_No… I won't let you leave me too._

Sakura felt her tears increase and take control over her. She wiped them away, but new would form. Her heart felt heavy and her lung pierced slightly. Everything else was numb. She felt embarrassed for crying like that in front of him, but she wanted to show him in some way how much he meant to her. How much she cared about him. Whether he was her sensei or not, he was important to her. He had lightened up her dark memories, her dark thoughts and guided her without his knowledge to the bright side of the tunnel.

Suddenly everything was warm around her. She noticed Kakashi wrapping his arms around her and letting her drown in his beautiful embrace. Sakura hid her face on his chest, which felt so wonderfully warm. She cried, thinking of him. Of Kakashi. How could she live without him as well. He was a too important part in her life, like the flowers need the sun. He was the only person who understood how she felt. Sasuke's loss… . But she was also aware of his additional losses. He had been through much more pain than her. Greater grief and tormenting silence. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pushed herself even closer to him.

She could listen his heart pounding under his chest. So calming. So beautiful. She just laid there, her ear by his heart. If it ever stopped beating… this world would be less beautiful, less magical.

_No…_

She swallowed a sob and felt his hand stroking the back of her head. It gave her a chill down her spine and her hands moved automatically stroking him on his back. The absence of his vest made her feel his body so much better. The lines of his bones, the curves of his muscles. She thanked him in her mind for not wearing it and tightened her grip around him.

She felt him do the same and she got lost in this magical embrace listening to his heart, listening to his breathing which was getting intenser. She loved that sound. It calmed her down, but made her feel strangely excited as well. Her sobs had calmed down and she was breathing faster feeling every touch of Kakashi. His chest, his hands, his warm exhaling on the top of her hair.

She smiled.

"Thank you!" she whispered, not sure if he had heard her.

She turned upwards to see if he had heard and saw his eye shine staring at her.

Everything felt so peaceful.

He smiled under the mask and his hand slid from her head to her cheek.

Sakura looked into his eye. His warm hand, not wearing the glove stroking her. She shut her eyes in order to feel every little goose bump his warmth brought her. She could hear her heart pounding in her head, her insides burning. His touch… it felt so good. Sakura felt her head spin as she had the urge of leaning more towards him. Feel him.

_Kakashi…_

Sakura looked at him and noticed that he was frowning and he drew his hand away from her cheek. He stepped backwards almost falling on the armchair.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to… I'm sorry." Kakashi said wearing an apologetic face. His mask twitched and he moved towards the door.

"You should rest. We can talk about that other matter tomorrow… . You rest!" He said and disappeared through the door.

Sakura stood there frozen. Kakashi's warm touch still burning on her right sheek. She was staring at the door and sighed.

She walked slowly to the window and watched the silvery sea. Diamonds sparkling on top of it, like his eye.

Sakura wrapped her own arms around her trying to remember Kakashi's embrace. She had never felt like this before. She desired more. More of him. But having him there was enough as well. Just watching him, his calm expressions, his beautiful eye colour, his grin.

Losing all this was too much to even think of. Sakura thought of his face and told herself that she would have to think of a way of persuading him tomorrow morning. She lay on the bed watching the red armchair opposite her and thought of Kakashi smiling back at her. She quickly fell asleep and dreamed of the silver ocean… .

___

**Hoped you liked this chapter, finally some romance... lol**

**Thanx veeeeery much for reading! Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Until next time... :)**


	20. Unexpected

**Hi everyone :) I'm back, after a little journey of my own with fresh ideas about the plot of Path of Life! Since I hadn't updated for longer than usual I'll try making it up to you with a double chapter today!**

**Hope you like it!**

**Thanx for reading and reviewing... HAVE FUN!**

The atmosphere in Rin's house by the sea was cheerful the next morning.

Rin, as a perfect hostess, had baked a new portion of chocolate cookies, as the last one was rapidly consumed by Chie and Turo. The table in the kitchen was covered with fruits, fresh bread and butter, apricot jam and green tea, which smelled all over the house. Turo was drinking happily his tea. His Konoha badge lay on the table by his side, while Chie was sitting next to him, laughing about something.

Yamato and Kakashi were sitting silent next to Turo, and Sakura, smiling at Rin, accepted a soup with vegetables.

"You need to eat more than the rest!" she had told her. Sakura hated soup, but ate it, the warmth soothing her throat.

It was such a beautiful, calm morning. Sakura hadn't had such a breakfast for a long time. Like a family. Almost all her favourite people were here. She wished she had Naruto with her, and of course Sasuke… have a tea together, laugh with Naruto's jokes. Just see Naruto and Sasuke quarrel… she had missed it so much.

Sakura watched the sun glowing on the perfect blue sea. The horizon was hardly distinguished, like the sky was one with the sea.

Sakura sipped her tea and glanced at Kakashi-sensei who was staring out of the window, not touching his breakfast.

She had dreamed of him. Once more. This time they were in Konoha and Tsunade had assigned her on a mission to teach Naruto medic-techniques. But it ended up that Naruto was just a disguised shadow clone of Kakashi. He had laughed in her dream, like she had never heard him laugh, and it made her happy.

She was glad that, for once, she had no nightmares, but such a cheerful dream. This is why she felt so much better, even powerful. She was sure she would be able to train for a bit with Turo-san as well.

"You have to close your eyes, or else it's called cheating you know!" Chie complained loudly and Turo chuckled shutting his eyes with his right palm, while Chie grabbed his left arm, turned it around and started tickling him slightly from the palm to the inside of his elbow. Turo was smiling and flinching when the tickling got intenser.

Sakura smiled finishing the vegetable soup. Rin stood up from the table and brought Sakura a glass of some bitter juice.

"Drink it, dear! It's vitamins. Lots of them." She said smiling with Sakura's expression. So much liquid would cause her problems later, Sakura thought.

She noticed Yamato and Kakashi staring at her with a compassionate look.

Sakura took a deep breath and swallowed the too bitter juice at once.

Suddenly Chie laughed out loud while Turo was pulling his raven black hair with his hands.

"That's mean, Chie-chan! You'll pay for that!" he said jokingly and ate two cookies at once.

"You'll train with Sakura-san and me, whether you want it or not." He said eating at the same time.

"Oh I want!" Chie said cheerfully and clapped her hands.

"We won't be easy on you!" he warned her drinking his tea.

"Don't!" Chie said seriously and stood up about to leave to her room.

"Chie, finish your food!" Rin told her softly.

Chie jumped back to the table and ate the last piece of bread with apricot jam with a swallow and disappeared behind a faraway door.

"She's a great kid, Rin-san!" Turo said grinning.

Rin smiled at him.

Sakura shove off some strands on her forehead and noticed Kakashi looking at Rin.

"Sakura-chan, please eat some cookies. You won't train without having eaten first." Rin said placing the bowl with the chocolate cookies in front of Sakura.

"Oh, I can't eat anymore."

"Chocolate is energy, you know it. For mind, body and soul!" Rin smiled.

Turo chuckled.

Sakura glanced at him annoyed and hardly ate a couple of cookies. Although they tasted delicious, her stomach felt too heavy with all the liquid and she doubted if she could move now. Let alone train.

"Great, let's go. Grab your kunais and let's go. I wanna see the girl's potentials!" Turo shouted the last words and suddenly loud footsteps and something falling echoed from the other side of the house.

Rin sighed, hiding her face in her palm.

The men chuckled watching Chie come running holding a huge bag which looked heavy.

"What do you intend doing with all this, Chie?" Rin demanded, unable to hold a smile appear on her face.

"Train, mama! I won't let the Leaf shinobi surpass me, no way!" she said determined and ran out to the sunny backyard.

"Here we go!" Turo said rubbing his palms and followed slowly Chie outside.

Sakura was about to stand up, but Kakashi signaled her to stay put.

Kakashi glanced at Yamato, and he left Rin, Sakura and Kakashi in the kitchen.

When they were alone, Sakura saw her sensei wearing a serious, but worried expression.

She knew what was troubling his mind. Everything they talked about last night. The Sharingan.

Rin moved next to Sakura and glanced at the pink-haired kunoichi.

"I'd like to talk to you both about the problem with the Sharingan. I want to hear your opinion as well, Rin-san. About this surgery, my genes and so on." Kakashi said folding his arms on the table.

Rin looked obviously nervous and her voice sounded soft as she spoke.

"Your Sharingan is simply a tool right now, which your body fights. It's unrecognizable from your system, and it feeds from your brain cells. This damage must be repaired and the connection of your Sharingan must be fixed. It's not connected to your brain, but chakra flows connect it with it. This is the reason why you probably cannot use it when you are tired and exhausted. It functions with chakra, it consumes a big amount of it as well. So you can imagine, your chakra capacity will only reduce if you continue using it. As I see it, there are two options." Rin paused noticing Kakashi move a little. His face grief.

Sakura looked at her hands holding her tea.

"You can have a new, but normal eye transplanted, which your system will recognize, or… you can let Sakura and me fix the Sharingan." She said simply.

"How long will this procedure take?" he asked.

"The repair of the Sharingan?" Rin wondered frowning.

"Yes."

"Well, the procedure of connecting your Sharingan to your brain is the longest part. But first we will need to redirect your genes to be able to read the Sharingan. So if you give us your blood we can start immediately, and if this works, we can begin the surgery. It would last hours, but the problem is rest. You must not move, fight, stress yourself for at least a month."

"A month?" Kakashi shot harshly.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said feeling her voice alter as she was suppressing her tears.

Kakashi looked at her worried.

"If I give you my permission for this surgery, it will have to wait after this mission is complete."

"But… we could tell Tsunade-sama, she would understand. We could continue the mission after, when you are healthy again." Sakura tried to reason him, her voice trembling.

"Sakura, do you remember what lead us leave so quickly from Konoha? What evil he does? We can't wait a month because my brain won't function as I want it to. More evil will occur during this time."

"But Tsunade could send ANBU teams all over and warn the countries and their Kages of this evil, so that we avoid more casualties…"

"Sakura, these things need time, and time is something we do not have right now…!"

"Exactly! If we face him, you could die within minutes!"

"Sacrifices must happen for the greater good."

Sakura gasped her tears hot on her cheeks.

"Is this why Sasuke died?" she shot, not caring if she sounded rude.

_Sacrifices, too many sacrifices…_

Kakashi was about to speak, but Rin cut him.

"Sakura-chan, please calm down. Kakashi-san is right. This procedure takes a long time and it won't do any good if your mission is so urgent. You could avoid conflict and try to talk with this person you talk about. Then we will have all the time to focus on the surgery. It would do no good if we rush it. This surgery needs all our attention. No flaws are accepted. I suggest, Kakashi-san, that you do not use your Sharingan no matter what. Use other means. I remember you strong even without it." Rin said her gaze fixed on Kakashi.

"But Rin-san!" Sakura protested.

"Sakura, I accept to let you heal the Sharingan of mine, if we do it _after_ this mission is completed." Kakashi said calmly keeping his eye locked on Sakura's wet eyes.

Sakura felt her airway blocked and wiped her tears away.

She felt like her head was split in two pieces which were bumping into each other. On the one hand, Rin and Kakashi were right. Madara Uchiha was out there, killing genins. A month was a too long time to do nothing about it. They had already wasted three days, because of the effects of their last conflict with the thunder shinobi. They had to act quickly. But still, Kakashi… his Sharingan could turn like a boomerang. It was too dangerous for him to wander around with it, especially in battle, while it was feeding with his brain. Whatever she would choose, there was a risk someone would die… and she was sick of death. Of the loss of another beloved person.

This is why I left, this is why I abandoned Konoha and all my friends, to become stronger. But I'm still only a burden. If I hadn't been that weak back then, during the battle with the thunder shinobi, we wouldn't have to waste three days here, while Madara was active, she thought intensely. She still was a burden. Because of her, Kakashi risked his life.

Sakura hid her face in her palms unable to speak.

She felt Rin's arms fall on her back grabbing her shoulders tight.

"Sakura-chan, my dear!" she whispered to her in her ear. Sakura felt her beautiful scent, chocolate, and a little bit of herbs.

"I'm too weak!" Sakura gasped behind a sob.

She heard a chair move and another hand holding hers. It felt warm, the skin rougher than Rin's.

Sakura saw Kakashi leaning in front of her. His face inches from hers. His eye was shining as a sunray reflected on it.

"You're not weak. If it weren't you back then, with the thunder kunoichi… we'd be both dead. You saved us both, Sakura. You've become very strong, much stronger than I expected. And I look up to you. You're the greatest kunoichi of your generation."

Sakura chuckled, not believing his words. She knew they were comforting words, empty, meaningless.

She hated herself for crying so often lately. She wanted to quit the mission, and let Kakashi, Yamato and Turo work on the mission. They'd be better off without her.

But then again… Tsunade had trusted her on that mission. Naruto… she had promised him that she would return. She wouldn't leave him. She had promised that to Sasuke. And she had made another important promise on Sasuke's grave, when she had visited his grave after three years. That she would become a jonin.

_Haven't I learnt anything all these years…_she wondered.

Thinking like that, it was pitiful. She breathed deeply and sat straight. Kakashi and Rin staring at her worried.

Her head felt lighter and saw Kakashi's sincere look.

Did he mean what he said, she thought frowning.

Kakashi, reading her expression, smiled looking proud.

_He did…_

Sakura smiled and felt Rin stroking her back. They cared about her and all she thought about was her weaknesses. She shoved off these thoughts from her mind and felt stronger. She was stronger. She wasn't the little helpless girl she used to be six years ago, only a know-it-all, who was good only at writing tests. That was a long time ago. She possessed abilities and talents no one else had at such an age. She was strong.

_I am strong… and I will be for _them.

Kakashi, Rin, Naruto, Tsunade, Chie, … all of those whom she loved and cared so much about. Her friends. Her family.

"Thank you!" she said looking at Kakashi for a long moment appreciating every little moment she had with him. She then turned to look at Rin. She had been like a mother to her. So lovable, so kind and sweet.

"Thank you Rin-san!" she said silently, her throat heavy with all the tears she was suppressing.

They both chuckled and Rin hugged her. Sakura hugged her back.

Kakashi stayed next to them smiling.

When Sakura and Rin parted, she looked at her sensei.

"Ok. We'll heal you after the mission."

Kakashi grinned under the mask.

"I won't disappoint you. Neither of you!" he said softly and stood up hiding his hands in his pockets.

Sakura noticed that he still was not wearing his vest and the simple, dark blue uniform made him look slimmer.

"Let's go do some training." Kakashi said sounding like his normal self, cheerful and calm.

Sakura stood up, with help from Rin, and all together walked outside to the backyard.

__________

"I thought this was about dodging kunais!" Turo shouted laughing his heart out, while Chie was throwing at him kunais, shurinken, big shurinken, chains, axes and many other metallic, sharp weapons.

Turo was dodging all of them without much effort, but laughing like a lunatic at the same time.

Chie grinded her teeth trying to find out Turo's weak spot. But the weapons would only miss him by inches. It was obvious he made it look that way. He could easily grab the weapons from the air and attack back. But he was having fun.

Sakura giggled as well, watching Chie and Turo have fun. She felt much lighter with the fact that Kakashi-sensei had accepted to have the surgery, but it wouldn't happen until they found Madara Uchiha, which could be months later. Only thinking of Kakashi being in pain pierced her heart. But she would have to be brave. If she wanted to become a jonin she would have to be able to take the hardest decisions. This was one of them.

The mission was important and they had to go on hoping that Kakashi's condition wouldn't become worse.

She sighed seeing him with the corner of her eye talking to Yamato. He looked so calm, like nothing was occupying his mind. Like nothing could make him feel anxiety or fear.

_I'm already lost, Sakura…_, Sakura remembered him say to her last night. She turned to look at him, his back to her direction. She frowned. What did he mean. Was he talking about Rin. Probably… .It must have been a shock for him seeing that his former teammate was so much alive, with a daughter. But why was he lost. She was alive and healthy, why wasn't he happy. If she had found out that Sasuke was alive she would be the happiest person on earth. She wouldn't feel lost, she wouldn't feel angry or sad. She would be happy, with all the meaning of this word. Like the world was suppressed under an endless night and dark clouds and, suddenly, the sun came out. The light in the emptiness. The warmth in the nothingness. The music in the tormenting silence.

He did look relaxed, but not happy. He definitely didn't look happy.

Sakura wanted to go and ask him. Ask him why. But it was none of her business. It would be too impolite of her to enter someone's personal life like this. Kakashi had Yamato, they were close friends. He would help him in this matter. Sakura would make sure that Kakashi didn't use his Sharingan and, in the near future she would heal him. That was all she could do for him.

"Sakura-san, why are you standing like that? Come!" Chie said cheerfully drawing Sakura's attention.

She smiled at her friend and slowly approached her.

"Please help me erase this smile from Turo-san's face!" Chie said and leaned close to the ground holding kunais in each hand. She smiled cunningly and Turo, smiling, signaled Chie to begin. Sakura grabbed four shurinken in each hand and leaned as well, but her rib stabbed her and she stood up straight again.

"Take it easy, Sakura-chan." Rin said from the little bench by the back door.

Sakura grunted and closed her eyes. She could feel the energy of the chocolate and felt glad for eating these delicious cookies. The energy, her chakra, was flowing towards her former injured parts of her body, her rib, her thigh, her lung and could feel relief take over her. She could hear her heart pound in her head. It sounded powerful.

Sakura smiled and opened her eyes seeing Turo wearing a worried expression.

Sakura ran towards him with all her speed and threw the shurinken towards him. He gasped shocked with her speed and dodged them all. Sakura forced chakra in the last shurinken in her right hand and threw it towards the house. Turo looked at her with a questioning look. He stepped back smiling widely, when he fell down on his back.

He grunted rubbing the back of his head.

"Wow!" Chie said approaching Turo and laughed over him.

"Do not underestimate girls again!" she told him pointing her forefinger on his face. He lifted his eyebrows in response.

"I thought you were injured or something!" he said to Sakura standing up.

"I was!" she said calmly and felt no more stabbing or stings on her body. She felt like her old self again and couldn't help but smile. She felt dizzy for a second noticing her sensei smiling under his mask.

Turo laughed and placed his hands on his hips.

"So, I suggest we bet on classic working out. No kunais or chakra tricks. Pure working out! Whoever loses… will need to fix this part of the roof, with no help. What say?" Turo said beaming.

Chie looked annoyed.

"Hey, that's guys' work, I'm not going to fix my own house's roof!" Chie complained.

Turo looked at her smiling stupidly.

"So, you acknowledge that you'll lose, that's what you say?"

Chie seemed ready to explode and her face blushed.

"No way I'm gonna lose to you! Ha! Let's get this over with and I'll be laughing when _you'll_ be fixing the roof!" Chie shouted her hands fists.

Turo lifted one eyebrow. Sakura smiled.

"Oh dear! Here we go!" Rin muttered and stood up.

"Who else will participate?" Chie shouted looking at her mother and then at Kakashi and Yamato.

Yamato scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Oh come on, are you that old you're afraid I'll beat you that much?" Chie shouted.

Yamato looked annoyed and his face seemed to get heaten up as well.

"Old? Are you kidding me little girl? No way! I'm in!" Yamato said decisively and looked at his friend.

Kakashi was wearing his casual bored look, which Sakura hadn't witnessed in a while and made her smile with this cool attitude of his.

"What was in this tea? You all sound like a familiar person to me." He said calmly, his hands in his pockets.

Sakura chuckled, knowing whom he was talking about.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but hey! Let's get it started!" Chie shouted impatiently jumping up and down.

"Come on, Kakashi-senpai!" Yamato said pleadingly.

Kakashi turned around and pulled out from his pocket his favourite latest _Icha Icha _book.

"What's that?" Chie wondered.

"You don't want to know!" Sakura told her smiling and noticed Rin's shocked expression.

"Come on! Whoever reaches the two rocks over there last loses to one point! Ha!" Turo shouted running towards the sandy beach.

"Hey!" Chie complained and followed him.

Sakura and Yamato followed.

The sun was so beautifully warm and Sakura felt the chilly water splashing around her feet. It felt so good moving again. Her whole body felt alive. The resistance of the water didn't matter to her. She wanted to press herself and gain all the power she had lost by lying down for three days. Her muscles started already aching, but she only let her mind get lost in the beauty of her surroundings. The sea, the golden ripples, the sunrays, the sand, Chie's and Turo's laughter. Yamato running behind her.

They were running for some minutes when they reached the two rocks which were emerging from the sea. To the south of the bay the Land of Waves was visible. Scattered islands in the vast ocean.

Yamato was the last to arrive. He didn't seem to compete at all, he only ran with them for fun. He wasn't panting, while Chie and Turo were out of breath.

"Now, whoever reaches this boat over there last loses to another point. Tenzo-san, you're one point low!" Turo shouted and he took off his jonin vest and uniform and wearing only his trousers he jumped in the sea. Both Sakura and especially Chie blushed observing Turo's fit torso.

Yamato hid his face in his right palm.

"Oh man!" he mumbled.

"Hmph! I won't lose to a Leaf shinobi, no way!" Chie muttered and taking off her boots and jacket jumped in the water after Turo.

"She reminds me a bit of Naruto!" Yamato said watching two lines of waves in the sea. Turo was swimming rapidly, while Chie was trying like mad to catch up with him.

"Yes, indeed!" Sakura said and sat down on the warm sand.

"Do you feel any exhaustion?" Yamato asked sitting beside Sakura.

Sakura shook her head and smiled to him.

"No, no! I feel perfectly fine." And she did. The sea, the sun's warmth, the relief of this break from their mission, it felt good. They all needed it. Rest and relaxation. If they were to face the strongest shinobi of the five great shinobi countries, they had to have their minds clear and their chakra full.

"It's beautiful here!" Sakura commented, her gaze lost in the ocean and the white trails of foam Turo and Chie left behind.

"Hmm!" Yamato agreed, a sunray reflected on his badge which surrounded his face.

Sakura felt the urge of asking Yamato about Kakashi. Why he was lost, why he was not himself that often lately. She had the feeling it was not about Rin, but maybe the problem with his Sharingan had affected him more than he thought. She wanted to know. Maybe she could do something about it.

She looked at Yamato, and was about to speak, but a sudden interruption made her freeze and her heart stop beating. She noticed a tall figure standing behind Yamato.

Her stomach felt like being stabbed. She quickly stood up and covered her eyes with her palm due to the intense light of the sun. Yamato stood up as well and gasped.

A man with long cupper hair and beard which reached his chest stood before them. A dangerous smile on his face and eyes as blue as the sky glowed staring at them. Eyes filled with years of experience. Eyes which were warning. Eyes which never blinked. The man was wearing the military uniform of the Land of Snow with the stamp of it on his belt. A katana was hanging from his waist, his left hand stroking it.

His scarred face was altered with this strange smile he was wearing and a tattoo covered his cheek down to his neck.

"Who are you?" Yamato asked frowning. His expression serious and cautious.

The man chuckled, which sounded like a deep growl. It gave Sakura a chill.

"My name is Kuroi, for you at least!" he said his voice like the purr of a huge panther.

Sakura felt the earth beneath her disappear.

Kuroi, Madara Uchiha's accomplice, was standing in front of them, a few feet from them. Sakura felt fear taking over her. Her hands started shaking and her heart pounded faster.

"Kuroi!" Yamato grunted. Sakura felt his grip around her right arm.

"So you've heard of me I guess!" he said jokingly and chuckled once more, his hand around his katana.

Sakura felt Yamato about to step forward, but this time she grabbed his arm and held him back. It would be too reckless to attack. They were on their own and Sakura hoped Turo and Chie would better stay in the sea, where they were undetected.

"Oi, I'm here for a talk, that's all. No fights, please!" Kuroi said lifting his palms signaling them to stop.

Sakura grunted silently. They were lucky, or else they would probably have no chance against him.

"What do you want to talk about?" Sakura requested, her voice steady.

Kuroi looked at her, his blue eyes shining. His right cheek lifted and he crossed his arms on his wide chest.

"You must be Haruno Sakura-san!" he said silently and focused on her.

Sakura could feel the tension shift around her, like the air was suddenly thinner, colder.

"Are you the one killing all those genins?" Sakura asked feeling now her fear being suppressed by anger.

Kuroi kept his eyes fixed on her showing no expression, only superiority.

Sakura grinded her teeth wanting to punch this man with all her might.

"It is a mean world this one. Especially for people like me and you." Kuroi said simply staring at her, examining her.

Sakura frowned.

"What could we possibly have in common, you and me?" she demanded, her voice starting to tremble.

"Sakura!" Yamato whispered warningly next to her.

But she didn't pay any attention.

Kuroi smiled lightly.

"That is obvious, Haruno-san. We are ninjas. Simple people do not see the cruelty of this world like we do. Everything is simpler, easier for them, while we…" Kuroi made one step closer to Sakura, "… we have to deal with the worst things in life every step of the way. Our roads are too difficult and dark for a simple person to follow. You must know that by now."

Sakura could understand his game, trying to confuse her with his talking. She wouldn't give in. Yamato's grip around her forearm reminded her of that.

"The trick is to not let yourself get lost on this road. Let no emotions control you-"

"Is this why you kill these innocent children? No person with emotions would be able to do something like that, you monster!" Sakura hissed, not recognizing her voice. Her hands shaking dangerously.

"Oh I have emotions, Haruno-san. As has my partner!"

Sakura froze. Did he mean Madara. The beauty of her surroundings had darkened, and it seemed to her the breeze was getting stronger, transforming into a northern wind.

"Madara Uchiha!" she grunted, her head burning with all the hatred she carried about this shinobi.

"You think of us as persons with no hearts, no emotions. That disappoints me, but… I can see your point of view. I mean, you lost the one person you loved the most."

Sakura couldn't understand what kept her still. She had the deepest and strongest desire of punching this man to death.

_How dared he mention Sasuke…_

"I can understand your hatred, your anger building up inside of you, like a hurricane getting stronger and stronger. And it aches. You want to let it out. You want to _avenge_!" Kuroi's voice growled the last word.

Sakura missed a heartbeat, realizing the truth in his words.

_No…Sakura, focus! Don't listen to him!_

Yes, she wanted to take revenge for Sasuke, but she had suppressed this idea long ago, because it wouldn't matter. It would only soothe her anger for a moment, but then she would have done worse to herself. She would have become like them. All those who kill to kill. All those who wander in the lands with no heart, no soul. Lost souls in a lost world.

_No…_

Sasuke wouldn't want this for her. She had to let go, but… it felt too hard. Like a knife pierced in her heart and she was twitching it herself, with her own hands in her flesh. It hurt too much to not think of Madara Uchiha dead on her knees.

_Take care of Naruto…_

Sakura felt her eyes hot, tears covering them once more.

"Haruno!" Kuroi spoke drawing Sakura's attention. This time his face seemed… _worried_?

"You must focus on the right target if you want to take revenge. You must learn the truth first. Can you imagine how it would feel to avenge killing the wrong person? Having the blood of an innocent on your hands?" Kuroi said simply his arms falling on his sides.

"What are you talking about?" Yamato demanded, his voice trembling.

His grip around Sakura's arm tightened.

"Many innocent died three years ago, one of them Uchiha Sasuke. Who was the reason for all this?" Kuroi said louder.

Sakura couldn't breathe.

"You say it's not Uchiha Madara then?" Yamato asked frowning.

Kuroi shook his head.

"You cannot see it, can you? No, because you're too lost in your emotional world. Because this little brat has made you all love him and adore him. He's made you all blind, so you accuse people who actually want what's best for the shinobi world."

Sakura felt her hands and limbs numb.

"What?" she gasped.

"The disaster following your dearest village, tell me when did it begin?" Kuroi said and waited silently examining Yamato's and Sakura's expressions.

Yamato's face seemed furious.

"Ever since your _partner _brought the demon to Konoha, ever since!" Yamato said.

Kuroi looked at him frowning. He stroked his beard.

"You obviously know nothing of what actually happened eighteen years ago. Hmph!"

Sakura glanced at Yamato, who was fixed on Kuroi showing his teeth.

"Well, once you do find out, you'll understand. I know the truth, and I know of Madara's part in the story. But what you accuse him of is completely silly. But I won't fool you around no more. I don't like doing to people, what I don't want them to do with me, so I'll leave you. Haruno-san, please consider my words. Learn the truth and you'll, then, be able to take your revenge." He said and stepped backwards.

Sakura felt Yamato's grip tighten even more and it hurt. She noticed two figures running behind Kuroi towards them.

Kuroi bowed his head slightly and vanished into thin air, like smoke in a strong wind.

His piercing eyes still dwelled behind Sakura's eyelids.

Yamato's grip loosened and Sakura fell with her knees on the warm sand.

"Tenzo-san! Sakura! What happened?" Kakashi demanded scanning around for Kuroi.

Yamato looked down at Sakura and then back at Kakashi.

"It was Kuroi!" Yamato muttered, all his fear finally exposed.

Sakura felt a warm hand on her shoulder and saw Rin watching her worried.

"Are you alright, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura only nodded. Kuroi's words echoed in her ears, like high-pitched whistles.

Revenge, accuse, disaster, truth, Sasuke… what did he mean. He was sounding so honest talking about Madara Uchiha's innocence behind Sasuke's death and Konoha's destruction and it made her doubtful. She couldn't believe herself feeling like that, but his voice. Although it sounded so dangerous, it was honest as well. She wanted to scream. Scream until her lungs had no air no more, until her throat bled, until she was left alone in this world.

"I think we should head back to Konoha, inform the Hokage. This matter is getting more and more complicated." Sakura heard Yamato mutter to Kakashi.

She looked up at the two men. The sun was blocking her view.

"What was he talking about, Yamato-sensei? About the truth of what happened eighteen years ago." Sakura asked seriously and stood up to face him.

Yamato's eyes flickered and he glanced at Kakashi worried.

"I-I do not know."

Sakura couldn't believe him. He always looked at Kakashi when he wasn't sure about something.

"I mean it. Honestly, I doubt it if there is anyone who really knows what happened back then. Except… Jiraya-sama I presume." He said looking at Sakura.

"Where is Chie?" Rin asked suddenly looking around the beach.

Sakura missed a heartbeat.

"We last saw them in the sea with Turo." She said feeling a heaviness in her stomach. She noticed Turo's clothes on the sand and Chie's boots.

"CHIE!" she shouted towards the sea, trying to distinguish any sign of them. But the sun was shining too bright.

After ten minutes, Turo and Chie, soaking wet appeared from the other side of the bay. They were both panting.

"Chie, dammit! Where were you?" Rin cried and threw herself towards her daughter. They hugged, Chie squeaked unable to breathe.

Turo grabbed his clothes and approached Kakashi, Yamato and Sakura.

"Where the heck were you?" Yamato demanded placing his hands on his hips.

"I saw this strange man and I swam around. I didn't want Cheie to get in the way. I could feel his chakra, it was enormous. Who was he?" Turo said frowning putting on his long-sleeved, dark blue shirt.

"Kuroi. He… wanted to talk." Yamato told them and glanced at Sakura.

"What?" Turo gasped. "Alone?"

"Yes, and he knew Sakura as well. He said strange things. About Madara's innocence mostly in this whole story."

"Innocence?" Turo said, like he didn't know the meaning of the word.

"Did he mention the killings?" Kakashi asked.

"No, Sakura asked him, but he avoided answering obviously." Yamato said looking worried at Sakura.

"What else did he say?" Turo asked shoving off his wet hair from his eyes.

Yamato was about to speak, but stopped. Sakura glanced at him. He wasn't sure if she should tell. Kuroi had been speaking mostly to her. And it made her uneasy. She was wondering if Madara had sent him. Kuroi knew her, knew of her relationship with Sasuke.

She wrapped her arms around her trying to suppress the shaking of her entire body.

"We should inform Tsunade-sama about this." Sakura said silently.

"We will. If Kuroi made his appearance here, I just wish… that Madara didn't show up to the other team." Kakashi said looking grief.

_Naruto…_

Sakura stared at her sensei unable to speak.

"N-Naruto!" she gasped.


	21. Return

"NEJI! TEMARI-SAN!" Naruto shouted, his throat burning.

Shikamaru, Shizune and he were running through the woods. There was a strange fog, which had covered the entire area. Naruto could feel the intense humidity fill his lungs and he frowned frustrated for not being able to see farther than some feet.

"Shit!" he grunted and ran faster forward.

"Naruto, wait up!" Shikamaru yelled.

"NEJI! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Naruto halted by a clearing, where the fog seemed to be fading away. He looked around, the world spinning around him.

Had Madara Uchiha found them, he thought and felt his angst grow. If he had found them then…

Naruto stopped when he saw colors that didn't match the colors of the forest. He looked closer and noticed Temari, her blonde hair were shining under little vapor drops.

"HEY! I FOUND TEMARI-SAN!" he shouted and kneeled quickly next to the sand kunoichi.

She was unconscious, her fan still tied behind her back. He freed it and put her on her back. He leaned on her face trying to hear her breath. He needed a couple of moments to concentrate and forget of his anger and hatred about a specific someone. He could hear her. But it was faint.

He shook her from her shoulders.

"Temari-san! Hey, wake up!" he shouted.

"Temari-san!"

No response. She was motionless, her eyes shut, her face seemed tensed. He noticed her eyes flicker from under the eyelids.

"Temari? Hey, wake up!", but she didn't move. Her eyes continued flickering.

Naruto looked around and saw Shikamaru's and Shizune's silhouettes approach hastily.

"What happened?" Shizune wondered and kneeled next to Naruto.

Shikamaru let a gasp and scanned around for Neji.

"Her breathing is faint." Naruto informed Shizune.

Shizune signaled and placed her palms over Temari and a dim light hummed. The fog around it seemed to vanish. Was this a jutsu, Naruto wondered looking around the fog.

Shizune scanned Temari's body and after a moment she concentrated on her torso. She frowned with her gaze fixed on Temari.

"She seems to be under some kind of jutsu." She said silently.

"Genjutsu?" he asked, two bright red eyes appeared in his mind.

"Probably."

Naruto looked up to look for Shikamaru. He went towards him. He looked really nervous and his clenched fists were shaking.

"Where the hell is Neji?" he yelled at Naruto.

"We'll find him." Naruto said, not truly believing himself and he signaled.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted and the fog cleared as hundreds of Narutos appeared out of nowhere, covering the clearing and beyond.

"Guys! Go find Neji!" he ordered them and witnessed them all nod and disappear towards every direction in the forest that surrounded the Village of the Thousand Ghosts.

"Something's not right." Shikamaru whispered, his eyes fixed in a faraway spot, perhaps not even looking in this world.

"Yeah, this fog is spooky. It's definitely chakra made." Naruto said feeling all over his body the chill that reached his mind in a way no normal fog did.

"Why didn't I see it, damn!" Shikamaru grunted and glanced over his shoulder towards Temari and Shizune.

"It's not your fault, Shikamaru. They must have known our moves."

"You think the three thunder shinobi are just sacrificial goats?" Shikamaru wondered looking for the first time Naruto in the eyes.

Naruto raised his shoulders.

"Temari had placed kunais all around their hideout. If they passed by them they would blow up. The only path free was the one which I used to enter. Somehow they must have managed to get through this gap, but it can't be or else I'd definitely see them, so…" Naruto sighed "… they either found a way to get through Temari before she placed the kunais or transported."

Shikamaru looked at him shocked.

"He was there from the very beginning. He was fooling with us. He knew our every move and planned over it, just to make us think we had them. Damn it!" Shikamaru grunted forcefully.

"The only logical explanation is the last one, I guess." Shikamaru muttered after a silent moment. "Temari had made contact when she and Neji witnessed Ichirou and his dogs flee, so they must have transported. But why wouldn't they transport farther, why did they let themselves exposed to Neji and Temari?"

"Because they _wanted_ to be followed."

"And divide us!"

Shikamaru and Naruto exchanged a long glance, realizing the tremendous powers of their opponents.

"Do you think Neji is…!"

"No! They will definitely use him against us. They know he's too valuable for us. Shit!" Shikamaru grunted once more and scanned around once more with his eyes, checking every tree, every shadow, every bush.

Naruto felt his breathing fastening as memories and experiences from several shadow clones reached his conscience.

"What is it?" Shikamaru wondered worried.

"Nine shadow clones fell into traps, but the traps are all around. And there are no trails. No trails, no signs, just traps all around the forest." He said seeing the traps, the blow-up tags, the pits, the chakra strings in his mind, like he himself had lived through all of them. Fortunately he didn't feel the pain of each shadow clone.

Naruto looked at Shikamaru, noticing his eyes glow with tears as he was staring at Temari, who still lied unconscious in Shizune's arms.

"What's the plan?" Naruto asked, his voice soft.

Shikamaru glanced at him, his face altered with anger.

"The best move would be to return and inform the Hokage. We must heal Temari and find out what she saw. Only she knows what happened. And we'll take the thunder shinobi as hostages. It would be too reckless to go and find Neji!"

"But we can't just leave him here, with Madara!" Naruto protested.

_Leave a friend behind? No way!_

"I hate it as much as you do, but we would only be running towards our own deaths." Shikamaru hissed.

"Leave me behind. I'll track him down!"

"Naruto, this Madara wants you dead, remember? You won't last a minute against him."

"But…!"

"No, I lead and you follow! Understood?" Shikamaru used his threatening, piercing tone, which Naruto knew should not underestimate. Although Shikamaru was the kind of person who would preferably avoid any trouble, he could turn into a real beast, when it was about his team's safety.

Naruto knew he was right, but something inside of him burnt as he thought of Neji imprisoned and tortured by a bunch of crazy thunder shinobi, and Madara Uchiha.

He had never left a friend behind. But he had now learnt with the hard way, that sometimes someone had to be wise and surpass such burning feelings and emotions take over. Neji wouldn't be murdered. The Hokage trusted him, as he was, he _is _one of the best jonins of his generation. But it was Madara they were facing, and Naruto was expecting anything from this monster.

For heaven's sake, he had killed his family, Naruto grunted.

Shikamaru approached Shizune. Her beautiful face was tensed and her eyes tearful.

"I cannot revive her. She's into some genjutsu. Only Tsunade can heal her." She said with a trembling voice.

Naruto noticed Shikamaru wipe a tear and lift Temari in his arms.

"We will return. Naruto leave your shadow clones behind, let them gather as much information they can. We go home." He ordered and ran forward, Temari in his arms.

Shizune glanced worried at Naruto and together they followed Shikamaru.

Naruto hesitated and glanced over his shoulder, hoping he could see any sign of Neji. The fog played games with his mind, it seemed to him in the middle of the clearing it got denser forming a figure. Naruto blinked and halted. Could it be…

He turned to face the fog, but it seemed normal again, like a cloud had fallen from the sky.

"Naruto-san!" Shizune shouted.

Naruto frowned staring at the fog. He could hear his heart pounding in his head, his hands sweat, his stomach burn.

A ghost that floated calmly in the slight breeze, forming shadows and fake silhouettes. A ghost that hummed and whistled as it caressed the leaves of the trees beside it. A ghost that reached Naruto's conscience and guided him through a velvet cloud of smoke, where everything seemed suddenly dark, only little freckles of grey scattered around him.

He gasped and looked around to search for any sign of the world he knew. The fog was still there, but covered into darkness. The trees were naked, the bushes burnt, and the ground beneath his feet had turned into ashes. His heart jumped, when two red spots glowed in the haunting twilight.

Naruto gasped when a face appeared. Thin, with a pointy chin, and hair short and spiky, with a dim, dark blue glow. Tall and muscular, a long black cloak over his shoulders. Two red eyes, no pupils, only red, as bright as the sun.

Naruto felt his eyelids shut, like he was disappearing into a deep sleep. But something didn't feel right. He couldn't identify what it was. What burned his insides, what made his brain ache. He grunted and unwillingly passed out…

____________

"We must return. The Hokage must be informed so that we can continue with the investigation. We can't just stay here, so that I can have the surgery. It's-!"

"Then I must accompany you, so that you can freely inform the Hokage and I'll prepare for the surgery with Sakura-chan." Rin argued, her hands on her hips. Her determined look made Sakura smile proudly. She couldn't persuade Kakashi-sensei herself, but obviously Rin had a greater influence on him.

"You will come back to Konoha?" Kakashi wondered, surprised. His mask twitched.

Chie beamed listening to it. Turo smiled back at the little girl.

"Yes! Why?"

Kakashi lifted his eyebrow and chuckled.

"Well, it's your decision! But I cannot promise you that I'll have the surgery the time we arrive. We could be sent onto the next mission right after."

"Oh, I'll talk to the Hokage myself if I need to, but I'm sure she'll listen to Sakura. No logical person would let you walk around with your condition." Rin said smiling.

"Well, it's the Hokage we're talking about!" Kakashi muttered.

Sakura chuckled. Tsunade was the last logical person in the five great shinobi countries.

She noticed Kakashi look at her and she looked away.

"Let's leave in an hour. We have a long way ahead of us." He said calmly and walked towards Yamato.

"Chie, come. Pack your things." Rin whispered to her daughter and together vanished in Chie's bedroom.

"Sakura, come here please!" Kakashi said and the four of them sat by the kitchen table.

Sakura sat next to Kakashi and felt a chill run down her spine.

"I want to ask you to tell nothing about Kuroi or anything considering the mission to Rin-san and Chie. Let's keep it between us. It could only bring them to trouble knowing more than needed. Turo, send a message to the Hokage, do not mention details, only that we faced Kuroi. Tell her we'll be there in five days."

Turo raised his eyebrows.

"Five days?" he wondered.

"Rin-san and Chie are more than capable to keep up. We don't have the luxury to lose more time." Kakashi said using his serious tone.

Yamato, Turo and Sakura nodded.

Turo stood up and scribbled on a piece of parchment the message for Tsunade. Yamato left to pack up his things, while Kakashi just sat next to her, breathing calmly.

Sakura locked her fingers in front of her.

"I hope I don't become a burden." She whispered, mostly to herself, remembering Kuroi's words. Words about an unknown truth and about revenge. Words that haunted her mind ever since Kuroi vanished into thin air.

Her injuries were yet to be healed and she wished they wouldn't slow them down.

"I'll carry you all the way, if I need to!" Kakashi said with his cool tone.

Sakura chuckled and felt her cheeks heat up. It seemed to happen more often lately. She couldn't imagine how it would feel to let Kakashi-sensei carry her for five days back to Konoha, like he had carried her last night. Being so close to him, touching him, feeling his heart pounding and his chest rising with every inhale, it felt…

_Sakura…!_

"I-I hope you won't need to." She said nervously and left to pack her stuff.

As she walked away from him, she was sure she could feel his stare. She felt her stomach jump and couldn't help but smile, imagining being back in his arms.

An hour later, Sakura ran through the woods that surrounded the Village of the Blue Tree, with Chie by her side. Kakashi, Turo and Rin were ahead, and Yamato ran behind them.

They were following a different route through the forest, just to keep away from their tracks that led to the Village of the Golden Path.

Sakura smiled noticing Chie observing Turo-san , who was talking with Kakashi-sensei ahead of them. The girl had blushed and glanced at Sakura.

Sakura chuckled with her nervousness.

"I'm jealous of you!" Sakura said silently.

Chie frowned.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice slightly trembling.

Sakura smiled.

"It's obvious, Chie-chan! You keep staring at him too much, even the trees know it!" she said.

Chie blushed even more and came closer to Sakura, keeping the same pace with her.

"Really? You think he knows?" she sounded really scared. Sakura couldn't help but smile. She hadn't felt this rush for a long time. Well, not that long, but she couldn't count it as the same, all this weird tickling inside of her when she remembered Kakashi-sensei's embrace.

"I can't tell, to be honest! But he likes you as well, that I know!"

Chie gasped and glanced at Turo.

"Argh, you're fooling with me!" she complained.

Sakura chuckled, glad that Chie kept her from thinking of Kuroi and his words of revenge.

"How old is he, by the way?" Chie asked whispering.

Sakura looked at Kakashi. For some reason he had got rid of his jonin vest and he was just with his dark, blue uniform. She wondered why he wandered around like this, when his torso was more _exposed_. Although there was no skin visible, he did look so much slimmer and somehow like a normal man…

_What… man?_

Sakura shook her head and glanced at Chie.

"Well, do you know?" she continued.

"Ehm , I've got no idea. He seems younger than Kakashi-sensei." She said simply.

"And how old is Kakashi-sensei?" Chei asked frowning.

Sakura wondered herself. She had actually no idea. He did seem mid-twenties, but that would make him nineteen or twenty when she was a genin. It didn't sound right.

"I don't know!" she said, feeling her stomach jump.

"You don't know how old your sensei is?" Chie chuckled.

"Well, it's not like we talk about such things, we usually train or go on missions, there is no time to speak about age or the horoscope or boyfriends!" Sakura tried to reason herself.

"Well, of course you don't talk to your sensei about boyfriends, but age… well it's one of the things I always ask first when I meet new people." Chie said serious.

"I don't, so don't push it!"

"Wait, I know how old your sensei is! Mama mentioned that she was one year older than her former teammates, so that makes your dear sensei thirty years old."

"_What?"_ Sakura wondered out loud and blushed when she noticed everyone turning to look at her with questioning looks.

"Sakura-san! What's the big deal? He looks younger, but he's not fifty!" Chie chuckled.

"Oh dear!" Sakura sighed and wished the earth could swallow her and make her disappear.

She had been feeling this strange attraction for her sensei, who was on top of that thirty years old.

Sakura wanted to punch herself.

"I hope Turo-san is not thirty as well, or I'll kill myself!" Chie whispered forcefully.

____________

_Naruto had woken up with a smile on his face. It hadn't happened for a long time. The last nights had been sleepless, and when he managed to sleep, nightmares of Tailed Demons tormented his few hours of peace in his apartment._

_He woke up, the sun shining on his face. He had no mission today. Ero-sennin had left suddenly for some kind of investigation, so no tiring training today. Although Naruto _would_ go and train. Probably he would ask Sakura to come along with him._

"_Oh I will!" he said cheerfully to himself and stood up, ate breakfast, drank some bitter milk, put on his black shirt and jacket, his orange pants and tied his Konoha badge around his forehead. He smiled back to his reflection on the mirror and glanced at Team 7's photograph. Kakashi-sensei with his hands on Sasuke's and his head, while Sakura was beaming in the middle, looking so happy. Naruto chuckled with Sasuke's and his own expression. _

_These years, filled with rivalry between them. How stupid we were, he thought._

_He put on his sandals and locked the door behind him._

_The day was sunny and warm. He walked through the streets of Konoha with his hands in his pockets and smiled to every person he met._

"_Hey, Naruto-san!" the baker under his apartment said._

"_Good morning, Naruto-san!" the old lady who lived across the street greeted._

_Naruto beamed at every one of them. It was such a beautiful day, he thought and crossed his arms behind his head walking casually into the village._

_He reached the main market street, which was buzzing. Almost the whole village was gathered here every morning, when the shops were open, the restaurants were already sending their mixed scents all around. Naruto sniffed and smiled widely realizing what smelled soooo wonderful._

_He ran towards the corner, where his favourite place in the entire world stood. Ichiraku's Ramen Bar!_

"_Here we are!" Naruto shouted shoving off the curtains from his face and sat by the bar._

_Teuchi-san's face popped from beneath the bar and smiled at Naruto._

"_Hey, Naruto-san! You woke up early today!" the owner said hiding some bowls in a cupboard._

"_Ah, yap I did! And the earlier you wake up, the hungrier you are, right?" Naruto laughed hitting his fists on the bar._

"_Ehm, are you sure? I see no teacher with you, who would buy you!" the man muttered with a frown._

"_Come on, old man! I'm big enough to have my own money by now!" Naruto complained._

"_Really?" the man smirked._

_Naruto sighed deeply._

"_I'm hungry! I've got money, here! Now bring it over!" Naruto shouted, feeling all the energy filling his lungs, but not his stomach which grumbled like a monster._

_Naruto placed his wallet in a shape of a fat frog on the bar and stared at Teuchi-san annoyed._

"_Ok ok!" the man cried and started cooking with the speed of sound. His hands were moving automatically, while he was staring outside. He threw lots of different things, and Naruto could feel his saliva reaching his shirt._

_The smell filled his nostrils and he smiled widely, when Teuchi placed a bowl of ramen in front of him._

_Naruto grabbed the chopsticks from Teuchi forcefully and ate with all his might. _

_He ate only five bowls, as his frog got thinner and felt pity for it._

_When he felt his stomach somehow relieved, he waved at Teuchi and left happily._

_His feet were moving on their own, following the roads of Konoha, as his body knew them without him even guiding his feet._

_He found out, after long minutes, that he had reached the gates of Konoha._

_He turned around to see a wave of pink hair behind him._

"_Oi, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, waving at the pink-haired girl. She walked up to him, and he observed her move her hands and legs so beautifully. She was always beautiful and she sparkled like a cherry blossom under the morning sun._

"_Hey, how did you sleep?" he asked when she reached him._

_Sakura frowned, looking annoyed._

"_And why do _you_ care?" she asked._

"_Oh, well I had a wonderful night and I think people who are deeply connected share these kind of stuff, you know!"_

"_Deeply connected?" Sakura growled._

_Naruto looked shocked at her, what did he say this time, he wondered._

_Sakura was about to punch him, but she held it the last moment making Naruto flinch. She laughed with his reaction and he complained._

"_How come you're not training with Jiraya-sama?" Sakura asked while they walked towards the gates._

"_Oh, you know, he left for one of Granny-Tsunade's secret missions. I guess he fooled her to go write his new book. He seems so lost with these stupid stuff. He says it'll be the last book of his perverted series. Can you imagine Kakashi-sensei's disappointment? What will he be reading then? The newspaper?" Naruto laughed._

_He imagined Kakashi-sensei sitting by a tea-shop drinking tea and reading the newspaper like the old ladies do._

_He chuckled, as did Sakura._

"_Hey guys!" Naruto heard a voice and turned to see a familiar face greet. He was one of the guards at the gates of the village. Naruto could never remember his name._

"_Hi!" he said simply._

"_Good morning, Turo-san!" Sakura said politely._

_Naruto sighed and looked at the woods surrounding Konoha._

_The world disappeared, Sakura's and Turo's muttering was so distant, it felt like he was trapped in a balloon, where the air was dense and the sounds faint._

_Could it be…_

_Naruto felt his arms fall on his sides numb. All he could hear was his heart pounding so loud._

_Could it… be…_

Sasuke…?

"_S-Sasuke!" Naruto heard Sakura gasp._

"_Who is this?" Turo said worried._

_Naruto didn't respond, he just walked towards him. Towards Sasuke._

_He was there, he was walking towards him as well. He was still faraway for him to see his face clearly. He was wearing a white cloak and his chest was bare. Purple pants, which were ripped. He was barefoot._

_Naruto walked and walked, his pace getting faster. He could hear Sakura's footsteps trying to catch up with him._

_Naruto was panting._

_Sasuke was close enough for him to finally distinguish the details on his face. His raven black hair was messy and strands were hiding the sides of his face. His eyes staring at him._

_Naruto missed a heartbeat noticing a faint smile on Sasuke._

_But it was no smirk, no threatening smile, no smile of superiority. It was a… sad smile._

_Naruto gasped._

"_Sasuke." He said silently and forcefully, like he was afraid he'd wake up. Like this was just a dream, that he wasn't back._

"_Naruto! Is this a-an illusion?" Sakura whispered. She was next to him, obviously shaking._

_Sasuke approached them, he seemed cautious, but the sad smile was still on his face._

_He was standing a few feet from them, and Naruto saw the glow in his eyes. Sasuke looked relieved._

'_Sasuke!" Naruto said and smiled._

"_H-hey!" Sasuke said. Naruto felt a chill hearing his voice, deep and calm, but nervous._

_Sasuke looked at Naruto and then at Sakura, and back. His eyes tried to digest his image, if it indeed was an illusion, or not._

_But he could feel him, he was real. Standing in front of them. Breathing, smiling._

"_I-I'm sorry! I had to go, I had to leave you and let you believe I followed another path, a lonely path. But… now it's over. I-I'm back!"_

_Naruto stood motionless, tears, hot as the sun, falling down his cheeks, reaching his chin, his neck and down his collarbone._

"_Sasuke!" Sakura said behind a sob and fell on her knees, hiding her face in her palms._

"_Sakura!" Sasuke said worried and kneeled next to her. Naruto observed how he hesitantly placed his hands on Sakura's shoulders and then stroked her cheeks. He cupped her face in his palms and lifted her head, so that she could see him. She was crying as heavily as Naruto was._

_Naruto felt his airway blocked._

"_I hope… you don't hate me. I understand if you do. I caused you so much pain, and I regret it. I regret it every day!" Sasuke whispered. Tears sparkling on his face as well._

_Sakura let a sob and her face disappeared in Sasuke's embrace._

_Sasuke hugged her and looked up at Naruto._

"_I-I wish I had found another way!" Sasuke said staring at Naruto._

_Naruto kneeled next to Sasuke and Sakura, who was shaking in Sasuke's arms._

"_All that matters is that you're back!" Naruto managed to say and he threw himself on him._

_He tightened his arms around him, feeling his warmth, feeling his tears._

_Sasuke hugged him with one arm and held Sakura tight with the other._

_Team 7, they were together again. Like one. One embrace, one love. Three persons who had found the beauty in life into each other. _

_Naruto felt his heart beat with so much force, like it was ready to explode with happiness._

_If I die now, I won't mind, I'll die happy!, he thought and chuckled._

_Sakura and Sasuke chuckled as well, and they laughed happily each into the other's embrace._

_The happiest day, the happiest day of my life…_

_______________

Tsunade grunted and took a long sip of her sake. She felt the sweet liquid burn her insides and felt a strange excitement fill her soul.

She looked up at Jiraya and smiled at him.

"I think back at that day every moment I spend in this damn office, in this village. What had I been thinking, huh?" she wondered out loud, remembering clearly the day Jiraya had found her, accompanied by a young and annoying Naruto.

Jiraya smiled slightly and approached her by the window staring at the surrounding view of Konoha.

"You were thinking of your home and of your beloved ones, Tsunade." He told her with his calm, deep voice, which she so loved to hear.

Tsunade shove off the strands of her face and looked up at him.

"What shall I do? I have no power no more. I can't think clearly." She whispered.

She could feel him so close to her. He was huge and it made her feel protected, but not from her dark thoughts.

"That's because you've been drinking again, dear!" he chuckled.

Tsunade chuckled, feeling glad listening to his laugh. It always made her feel goose bumps, though she had never admitted it.

"Help me! Please help me and guide me!" she had never asked for someone's help. She always stood up for her own, on her own. She had the appropriate self-conscience and power to depend on herself, but now… now Madara Uchiha was back, she could only feel fear and the lack of power to face him.

The message she had received a few minutes ago from Kakashi's team and Shikamaru's team, had made her fall into a strange half-sleeping state. Like all this was a nightmare and she knew it was one, but couldn't wake up from it.

All her conclusions on Madara's plans had been turned upside down. Something told her that Madara would show himself to Kakashi, or even Sakura, but not at Hyuga and the Kazekage's sister. Hyuga was gone. And then Kuroi had appeared to Sakura. She wanted to scream.

Madara Uchiha knew their every move, her thoughts. He had read through her mind.

How could she face him. Konoha and everyone she loved, was in danger, and she couldn't do anything about it. Of course she needed help.

She felt tears form and pressed her palms on the warm window.

_Konoha…_

She felt Jiraya's hands on her back, and she shut her eyes feeling his touch on her bare shoulders.

"I'll help you, I'm here!" he whispered.

Tsunade shivered and let herself cry. She hated being vulnerable, but Jiraya _was_ here and he would protect her.

As would she…

_I am Hokage and this is who I am…_

**Thank you all for reading! Can't wait for your opinions...**


	22. Cold

**Good evening**

**I just changed one of the genres of this story, since the dramatic element really has conquered (!) - I'm already thinking of another story, which will kind of be the continuity of this one, but less dramatic...hmm...but I will first end this, before starting a new one or else... well I'm really into this one, so a new one won't come soon (yeah, this story's a big one ;) )**

**Thanx for reading, it makes me really really happy seeing all those hits every day! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!!**

**:)**

Cold. So cold.

Her skin was being covered slowly and gradually with frost and her mind just kept her there. Feeling the piercing pain sting through her cells. She could feel her guts freeze as well, as the frost infiltrated her system.

She sighed painfully.

Her arms couldn't move, her legs felt numb, her eyes shut forcefully, unable to see anything but darkness.

She tried to scream, in vain.

The daunting atmosphere made her heart beat faster and louder, it felt the only real thing in this place.

The cold wave suddenly swept her from her feet and she shot herself panting as her eyes ached.

She rubbed them and gasped noticing a shadow before the dim silver moonlight.

A man, arms crossed in front of his chest, while the curtains waved madly in the room.

Tsunade felt the northern wind cause her shivers, so she wrapped the sheet around her, not leaving the unwelcomed man from her sight.

She had to blink several times to distinguish his characteristics, as he seemed like a haunting ghost.

Her next inhale felt like lasting forever, as she watched the black shadow slowly open his eyelids. His face seemed to lighten up, as his eyelids uncovered his bright, red eyes. As bright as the moon shining behind him.

Trapped in a whirlwind, Tsunade could feel no more cold, no shivers, only panic taking control over her body.

She shut her eyes forcefully, moving uncomfortably in the bed.

"Uchiha Madara!" she hissed behind her clenched teeth, keeping her eyes shut.

She panted, trying to find her calm. She breathed so fast, she feared her brain would pass out with all that air. Her grip around her forearms stabbed her flesh, as the panic grew dangerously.

_Get a grip!_ She tried to wake herself up. But her other half brain was already following that road. The road where she'd be vulnerable, even for a chuunin to defeat her. She grunted and slowly tried to open her eyes.

When she looked down on her knees, at the sheets, at the dim silver moonlight, she felt her mind calming down, as was her breathing rate. She looked up following the black cloak's zipper from the unwelcomed visitor. She followed it, expecting to see the red clouds on the pattern, but finding none. She reached his arms with her eyes, tight in front of his chest, his fingers hidden in gloves and then his neck, and his smirk. His thin lips curled slightly on one edge.

Tsunade frowned as she forced herself not to look upwards. His Sharingan, the most powerful tool this shinobi possessed. A tool which could easily take you down with a single glance. No hand signals, no muttering words. Eye contact would be her death.

Tsunade focused on his lips, making her feel enough hatred and disgust for her to think rationally.

"I hope I didn't wake you up!" he muttered. His voice calm, and hypnotic.

The sound made her feel a sudden rush of exhaustion and she had to concentrate hard to keep her eyes open and focused on his mouth. She noticed it turning into a threatening smile.

"Well, you did!" she said harshly having a hard time not looking up into his eyes, but she wouldn't give in.

Madara chuckled. He made a step forward, making Tsunade flinch. His air felt cold, but so tempting.

"I actually waited until you would wake up on your own. It's rude interrupting someone's sleep." He commented, staring at her.

Tsunade smirked.

"So you've been watching me sleep all this time. Isn't _that_ rude?" she said, thinking of her every next move. She would not attack. Not yet at least. The atmosphere felt too threatening to risk an attack, which she was well aware she would lose.

"Excuse me for this!" he said and bowed slightly. Tsunade lowered her gaze in order not to meet his eyes.

"What do you want?" she said harshly.

"I want to talk to you, Lady Hokage!" he said, raising his voice slightly in every last syllable of his sentences, which made his tone sound even more hypnotic. Tsunade frowned trying to keep her eyes open and her senses alert.

"About what? The murders?" she asked decisively.

If he was playing with her, so would she.

Madara smiled, like he had read her mind. Tsunade smiled back, as she knew he knew that she knew of his ability.

"Hmm, you do remind me of your grandfather. The same sense of superiority and self-confidence. Very much alike you are, and it brings me back so many memories!" he said slowly.

Tsunade frowned. He would be avoiding her questions, until he got what he needed.

"You want to talk about the First Hokage?" she asked cockily.

"Oh no! You never met him, you can't know more about him than I. There are more interesting things to talk about." He paused and looked thoughtful for a long moment.

Tsunade felt the urge to attack, right here, right now. But that would be stupid, especially from the Hokage herself.

The wind suddenly grew stronger, and Tsunade shivered unwillingly wrapping the sheet around her tighter.

Madara smiled and turned around to close the window behind him. Tsunade faced his back, her hands about to move to form a signal, but he looked over his shoulder, causing her to flinch. Her hands froze. The silver moonlight the only source of light, besides his Sharingan.

Tsunade moved a little on the bed, kneeling so that she could reach his eye level more, but always avoiding them. She focused on his horrible smirk. She wished to punch it and make him bleed.

Madara made one more step closer, now his knees touched her bed.

"I desire it as much as you do, Lady Hokage, but I have to focus on greater plans at the moment." He whispered.

Tsunade smiled and crawled closer to him. She noticed his arms move on his chest.

"Then let's end this!" she hissed.

Madara chuckled deeply and his arms fell on his sides. He walked around the room, looking around it. The pictures, the wardrobe, the bedside table, her clothes and then back at her. Tsunade avoided eye contact and tightened her arms around her, her nails one tip closer to make her bleed.

"I don't want to fight. Not now. I want to talk." He said silently.

"Then talk! You been dragging this conversation too long!" she growled, feeling her emotions take over her, but she took a deep breath. She shouldn't act like that. She had to let him move on his own pace. He would spill something out, she would make sure of that. Now was not the moment to attack, or challenge him. It would be a lost fight.

This battle had to do with smartness, tactfulness, wisdom. Not power. And she knew it. He knew it.

"Exactly!" he said and looked at her frowning.

Tsunade turned her head, avoiding his stare as he leaned towards her. She missed a heartbeat noticing a slight movement next to her, but realized that it was only her mirror on the wall, Madara's and her own reflection. She could see him, from head to toe and noticed him turn slowly to look her in the eyes.

When their eyes met, Tsunade saw thousands of images block her mind. She had not shut her eyelids as she intended to, but she could see every single person she loved in front of her. Her little brother, Dan, her first love, her grandfather, her sensei, Jiraya, Shizune, Sakura, her village, her home and every person who has dedicated his and her life in protecting it.

They were all there, looking up at her.

But they faded away. They waved at her, smiled at her and vanished. Her sight got blurry as she found herself staring into Madara's red eyes. She needed a moment to see it was only a reflection and, as they both stood silent and still, she noticed that he didn't drown her into any genjutsu.

Maybe he must have direct eye contact to control me, she thought satisfied.

His smirk appeared again on his face. The angles of his face were carved with multiple scars, small, like he had been dragged through thorny bushes. His short hair, seemed to glow with a dim blue color under the moonlight, but the most tempting were his eyes. Eyes untouched by time, eyes with no pupils, just bright, red iris.

Tsunade couldn't help but smile with this sudden turn of things. She could watch him in his eyes, and, if she was alert all times, she would easily see through the corner if he did anything hidden from his reflection.

"Good, now we can talk like normal people!" he commented and kept looking at her through the mirror.

They were staring at each other motionless for several minutes. Examining each other, searching for flaws. Tsunade tried to think of something that could cover all her thoughts, something in order to block her mind from Madara entering. But he only smiled, as she tried in vain.

"What is your ambition, Lady Hokage?" he spoke.

Tsunade could sense the sarcastic tone in his voice every time he referred to her as _Hokage_, which proved his hatred of her and her luck of her position in the community. But still, he was polite.

She knew he would be playing around. So she had to answer his questions to get him go her way. She had to be honest, or else he would see it. She hoped for a second that if she gave him an answer, so would he.

"Keep people like you away from my village and away from my country!" she said using her most serious, deep tone.

"And are you successful?" he wondered.

"Obviously not! You're here!" she shot, realizing the truth of her words.

But that was only a mind game of his. No emotions have place here, she thought intensively.

He smirked.

"I am the evil threatening your peace, is this what you say?" he wondered. Tsunade frowned seeing him look so… disappointed.

Tsunade opened her mouth to speak, but he turned around again, looking outside the window. She followed him away from his reflection, facing his back again. She wondered why he kept himself exposed that way, in which he had no visibility of her actions. But… a shinobi like him would never let his guard down.

"Why do people see everything in two opposing parts? Two parts always in conflict with each other; war and peace, hatred and love, foe and friend. Why can't they see everything else in between? They always divide everything into good or evil, into black and white. I am the evil, you are the good. Akatsuki are the evil, Konoha is the good." He paused and turned slowly around to face her, through the mirror. She looked at his reflection, noticing her paler self beside him.

"Why?" he demanded, calmly.

"Why do you think that is? You kill children, that is a single action considered evil! Not to mention everything else you've done." She answered frustrated with his strange questions. How could he ask something like that.

"What have you done to be considered good?" he asked lifting an eyebrow.

Did he have some sort of personal issues he wanted _her_ to solve? Tsunade felt being fooled. Something was not right. Was he planning on laughing at her, or was he aiming on getting information from her. About what though. Why would he have to ask her himself. He would definitely have other means of finding out whatever he desired to find out. It had to be something only she knew. But then again, she could be falling into a trap thinking like that. Losing herself into plots and cons and tricks Madara could be doing. No, it was all a game.

Tsunade pressed her lips together. He hated her, he hated her clan. He wanted her out of his way, that was his plan. Her heart pounded harder at that thought.

"I believe you're smart enough to figure that out yourself, Uchiha!" she snorted, tired of his game. She much preferred fighting him, right here, right now, than listen to his stupid canning questions about her and the difference of good and evil.

"So, you do not believe that there are people who believe in the in between?"

"Are you one of them?"

Madara looked down at his arms, before looking back into Tsunade's reflection's eyes.

"I see every perspective. I see the good, I see the evil and I see the chasm. You label people by their actions in black and white. But what about the middle? What about seeing it in grey. Seeing that people do not act according to their good will or evil will, but according to the present circumstances. Why don't you see like that?"

"Killing children, you say it's labeled in grey?" Tsunade started losing her temper.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Neither did you!"

"Why do you want peace?"

Tsunade looked puzzled with his change of question, but most of all with his calm attitude.

"Because I want my village to be happy." She said feeling a heaviness in her throat.

"Exactly, because you think this is for the best! You think, being the Hokage and having the power in your hands, _you _can decide about them."

"Then go and ask them! Ask them what they would choose! They'd answer you the same thing!" she interrupted, not following his strange assumptions.

"Now this is what I'm talking about. People grow up learning that there are the good people, the good shinobi who would risk their lives for their comrades, their family and village, but they're not taught about a decent and respectful shinobi who can _kill_! Are they taught about that? Do you teach your precious genins and chuunins about that? No! You only teach them how to survive and get over the deaths around them!" he paused, his piercing and angry stare looking closer into the mirror.

Tsunade found herself staring at herself, rather than Madara.

"Nobody has the authority _or _the right to decide whether someone must live or die!" she growled, looking back at him. She could feel her heart beating in her veins and arteries all around her head.

"No, but they do! Your own shinobi go on missions and kill! You are aware of it, but do nothing. Is this right?"

"My shinobi never kill, unless there is no other way of surviving or save someone precious."

"So how can you label them as _good_?" he whispered, dragging the last word like it disgusted him. He stared at her, wearing a steady, disappointed, but still dangerous look, as his Sharingan sparkled like rubies.

"You didn't tell what your ambition is." Tsunade whispered looking him directly, at his lips though. She wanted to see the smirk directly, while she pushed herself to keep calm. To stay restrained, but always alert. The silence of the night pierced her ears. There was no sound from Madara.

None at all, not even his breathing.

He did smirk, as she expected and he still looked at her through the mirror. She observed the veins popping out from the sides of his head and the scars all over him, extending down to his neck, vanishing under his cloak.

"I want to make them _see_, Lady Hokage! See what I've seen, so this world stops turning around these superstitions of the older. Make them see in grey." He whispered.

Tsunade looked back in the mirror noticing the lines on Madara's face smoothen and his smirk fade away.

"And how will you achieve that? Do the killings have to do anything with this?" she demanded.

"It is a sacrifice for the greater good!"

He had admitted it, this is what she waited for. But the look in his eyes made her freeze. He didn't seem calm anymore, but a huge air of threat arouse, making her feel an intense chill down her spine. A chill that even reached her heart.

"I may seem a monster in your eyes, as I do in Haruno-san's eyes, but I never act with no reason. I've spoken of my ambition and the last thing I'll say to your Majesty is that there is only one person who can achieve making my ambition reality and I intend to claim!"

"You!" Tsunade growled standing up on the bed looking him on his lips directly. She looked down at him like he was a piece of garbage, because that's what he was. A disgusting person mad with power and controlling, filled up with his narcissism and his own self-acknowledgement.

"No Kage will stop me! I'll be done with you when the time is right!" he said calmly, looking straight at her.

"Are you afraid to kill me now?" she shot.

"No, I could have killed you when you were sleeping. But I want to see you in pain. I want to see you cry and scream and get tortured. For all your damn clan, Lady Hokage. You ambitious people, who think love and loyalty are enough to rule!" he growled.

"Why don't you become a Kage yourself then?"

He laughed.

"Dreams for the young shinobi! I don't need to become Kage to be strong. I'm already stronger than all of your dear village's shinobi combined, including you!"

"You did all this way just to threaten me and my village?" she demanded her nails now deep in her skin.

Madara smirked.

"No! I came to warn you!"

"Of what? Yourself? Are you really that-!"

"Keep an eye on your beloved student!" he whispered in her ear, as he was suddenly behind her on the bed and she shivered feeling his exhaling on her neck. She could hear his silent smirk and then he vanished.

Tsunade gasped staring through the window at the night. She stood there on her bed motionless, but suddenly she lost balance and was about to fall on the bed, but landed on the wooden floor the last moment. She threw the sheet she had wrapped around her on the floor and searched around, holding her breath, in a fight position. She held her hands in front of herself, on the edge of signaling, when noticing only shadows dancing in the corners of her room.

He transported, she thought. Her arms fell on her sides, but her senses were too alert for her to calm down.

She thought she saw the Sharingan staring at her, but it was all in her head. She grunted loudly and ran through the house. She dressed up quickly and shut the door behind her running through the dark streets of Konoha.

Running fast towards the Hokage building, her heart cold, her breathing fast, her head spinning, she thought of every word and every smirk and every hypnotic word of Madara Uchiha.

The night was too silent to feel right and the wind grew stronger, causing the trees to whistle like ghosts.

Tsunade felt a tear reach down her lips and licked it, feeling fear.

_Sakura… he is after Sakura!_


	23. Fear

The late afternoon drew with pale colors of pink, purple, grey and blue on the massive canvas of the sky. The sun had bid his farewell to this hemisphere for another day and the trees danced in response in the rhythm of the breeze.

Sakura shoved off the strands that hid her view of the gates of Konoha.

She smiled, relieved and so glad for being back home. Again.

Memories three years old came into her mind; the night she had left, carrying a single backpack and wearing a long white cloak, hiding her fear, hiding her grief, hiding her hatred. She hadn't even looked back. She just ran and ran and ran until she reached unknown lands. She never looked back, until many weeks later, when she had arrived in the Land of Snow. Where spring never comes and a white, feathery blanket covers all. Where it's cold and the sun rarely appears.

She felt so glad to have grown here, in the middle of a vast forest, where it was always spring. The flowers bloomed all year long and the days were most of the time sunny.

Sakura felt a presence beside her. She woke from her thoughts and noticed Chie next to her, who was staring at the village with sparkling eyes.

"Oh, is this your home?" she wondered dreamily.

"Yes, it is!" Sakura answered proudly.

My home…

Those were other times, back then. Now I _am _stronger, and I'm no longer afraid of coming back, she thought.

As they walked past the gates, which Chie looked up at with awe, the two guards came in front and smiled at them.

"Kakashi-sama! You're back! I see you brought friends?" the one guard said cheerfully, approaching Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded and followed the guard to their little office set by the entrance of the village.

Sakura saw him signing some papers and, then, he gestured to Rin.

Rin smiled at him and signed another pair of papers.

"Ah, is this your daughter?" the guard asked, after checking on the papers and looking at Chie.

Chie turned hearing someone call for her.

"Yes, it's her." Rin answered.

"Great! I wish you a pleasant stay, but please report to the Hokage, Kakashi-sama. She's been expecting you." the guard said a little more seriously.

"Is everything alright here?" Kakashi asked, sounding cautious.

"You should talk to the Hokage, I'm not the appropriate person you should consult right now. Like this village hadn't had hard times. It's like we're under a curse or something." The guard muttered and his colleague nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Yuzuru-san!" Kakashi said and made his way into the village.

Sakura, Turo, Yamato, Chie and Rin followed.

Sakura saw Rin walking beside Kakashi and noticed them smiling at each other.

She wondered if they finally had managed to talk to each other. During their trip back to Konoha, she had witnessed them sitting more often closer to each other, going on walks late at night when they took their breaks and everyone else went to sleep. All this, although it was something really good, perhaps the best good that happened during their unfulfilled mission, she couldn't help but feel… jealous. Fortunately it was not an extreme feeling of jealousy, but it made her feel uncomfortable, like she was a child reading inappropriate magazines. Seeing her sensei, a full grown man (a fact she still couldn't really digest), acting like a _man _with Rin, a full grown woman, was strange. There was nothing strange seeing two people close to each other, but those people were two persons she knew. Especially Kakashi.

It felt surreal. All these feelings of attraction growing inside of her for her sensei didn't calm down. She couldn't stop thinking of the most beautiful embrace she had nights ago. The way he had wrapped his arms around her and welcomed her under his protection, where everything was so warm, so calm, so peaceful, but beautifully exciting as well.

Just the touch of his bare hand on her cheek, and his stare.

This stare… Sakura shivered and her shoulders moved strangely. Chie next to her noticed it.

"What's wrong?" the girl wondered.

"I-I felt cold for a second." She lied.

"I think it's much warmer here than at home." Chie said, beaming as she observed every detail around her. The tall, colorful buildings, the people walking around in the calm evening. But Sakura was well aware, Chie was actually so happy, because Turo was walking close behind them.

Sakura smiled.

If I was thirteen and in love with my sensei, would I act like this as well, she wondered.

Fifteen minutes later, they reached the Hokage building, a majestic creation which had been destroyed back during the Akatsuki's attack three years ago, but had been renewed and rebuilt to its former shape.

Passing by another set of guards at the entrance, they entered the busy building.

Sakura frowned wondering what caused so much confusion in here at this hour. It was late for so many people to be working here. The lights were all so bright and jonins, secretaries, even young chuunins walked up and down the stairs. Most of them looked nervous, tensed.

What has happened…

Sakura noticed Kakashi almost jumping up the stairs, and the rest hurried after him.

They walked quickly through the cylindrical corridor and Kakashi knocked on the Hokage's Office's door.

"It's Kakashi!" he announced.

"Enter now!" Tsunade's voice demanded angrily.

Chie looked up at Sakura scared.

"Don't worry!" Sakura whispered to her and together they followed Kakashi.

Tsunade looked up at them from her desk, her eyes tired with black circles under them. She frowned, looking at each of her new guests with the greatest irritation.

"Kakashi, what's the meaning of this?" she demanded. She glanced at Rin and Chie.

"These are friends who've come to stay in the village for a while." He said calmly. He was about to speak further, but Tsunade cut him off.

"Great, now send them away, I need to have a word with you. There are more important things right now, than having friends coming and having fun and-!"

"Hokage-sama, has something happened?" Kakashi said in his serious tone.

Sakura felt the intense air in this room get into her. Tsunade was furious about something.

"Did you find the genin?" she requested standing up and looking for the first time into Kakashi's eye.

Kakashi stood calmly.

"No, there were some obstacles in the way."

"Like these _friends_?" she shouted hitting the desk with her palms.

Kakashi frowned, obviously irritated with Tsunade's impoliteness.

He turned to look at Rin and she nodded understanding. Rin bowed slightly and, holding Chie, they left the office.

Tsunade stood there, her arms shaking.

"Tell me everything! I see your mission didn't go as expected, so explain yourselves!" she demanded sitting back on her chair. She sighed forcefully, as the team stood in line in front of her desk.

Sakura glanced at her teammates who looked at their Hokage with frowns.

Sakura couldn't look so impassionate. She could feel Tsunade's anger and the way it affected her judgement. When angry, she did turn into a monster. No one dared say something or disobey her requests. She became so fearful and this is probably why the Hokage building was still so busy so late.

"We faced a team of sound and thunder shinobi on our way to the Village of the Blue Tree. We defeated them and used them as disguise to approach the thunder kunoichi, which the ANBU team had witnessed to trade something with Kuroi. But… she expected us. She managed to keep me away from the team, while her accomplices attacked Tenzo, Turo and Sakura. When I found them, they had been divided. I was fighting the thunder kunoichi, she used Lightning element techniques and possessed the Byakugan."

"What?"

"What?"

"The Byakugan?"

Tsunade, Sakura and Turo wondered looking shocked at Kakashi.

"Why didn't you mention it before?" Yamato wondered taken aback.

"I was trying to make it all connect and it didn't. I can't tell if she was an ascendant of the Hyuga clan. She could activate and deactivate the Byakugan like the Sharingan. Her eyes had normal dark color, but she could force her chakra in her eyes and it looked exactly like the Hyugas' Byakugan. She even had the same abilities." Kakashi explained.

"Other experiments?" Tsunade wondered, the exhaustion taking over her voice.

"Perhaps. Sakura mentioned to me once about an existing clinic in the Land of Snow, where experiments take place of mixing different genes of different clans. Personally I've never heard of this clinic." Kakashi said, making Sakura flinch.

"I've heard of this clinic. But I thought they were honest people working on the flaws of the different clans' abilities." Tsunade muttered staring into the nothingness.

They were silent for a long moment.

"You think it's Uchiha's work?" Yamato asked.

Tsunade looked up at him, her eyelids heavy. She leaned her head on her palm.

"It seems he's behind everything, isn't he?" she said.

Sakura noticed the grief in her voice. She had never seen her like this before. Her insides burnt like hell as she observed Tsunade being deep in thoughts about something that ate her from the inside. She wanted so much to ask her, to talk to her. She wanted so much to tell her of Kuroi and seek her help. Her advice.

Like she had heard her thoughts, Tsunade lifted her eyes to look into Sakura's.

"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura whispered.

Tsunade stood up quickly and reached Sakura with two big steps hugging her. Sakura gasped with this sudden reaction of Tsunade's and hugged her back.

"Oh Sakura! I'm so glad you're fine!" she said with a trembling voice. Sakura felt Tsunade's hand behind her head, grabbing her neck.

"You will never leave again from my side. I'll watch over you, no matter what." She said silently, tears falling from her eyes.

Sakura felt scared. Did Kuroi's appearance scare her that much, she wondered intensively.

"Tsunade-sama, don't worry!" Sakura tried to assure her.

"Oh, I will worry as much as I want!" she said louder and walked back to her desk, leaning on it.

"Tell me what happened next, Kakashi!" she said, her voice back to her normal Hokage tone.

Kakashi glanced at Sakura and then back at Tsunade.

"The thunder kunoichi confessed that she worked for Kuroi. But during the battle… Sakura got seriously injured, so we needed to seek help. We decided it was better not to return to the Village of the Blue Tree, so we headed for the Village of the Golden Path. This is where Rin-san comes in. She saved Sakura, she managed to heal her. After two days of recovery, Sakura and Tenzo met Kuroi." Kakashi said.

Tsunade looked back at Sakura.

"I'll have you checked later." She muttered crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Tsunade-sama, I'm perfectly fine now. Rin-san did a great job." Sakura said, noticing Tsunade's disbelief about Rin.

"I don't trust her, so don't question me!" she shot and looked back at Kakashi.

"What did Kuroi say? What powers does he possess?" she asked harshly.

Yamato was the one to respond.

"He didn't attack, but he can teleport as well. He…" Yamato glanced at Sakura and then back at Tsunade. He told her in detail everything Kuroi had said. Sakura felt like being back at that day, by the sea, with Yamato's tight grip around her forearm. He told the story like it had happened some minutes ago. She felt her eyes warm and her throat aching as she suppressed the swirling feelings of that day return.

_Haruno-san, please consider my words. Learn the truth and you'll, then, be able to take your revenge…_ he had said.

She could hear his deep voice, like a growl of some beast, haunting her mind. His eyes staring at her with compassion. Was it true, or was he fooling her. Was everything he said true, or were they tricks of a greater plan. But what would they gain if they fooled _her_, it would make more sense if Kuroi or Madara approached Naruto, or Kakashi. But why her, she was just a chuunin who had been so scared she had left her home. Why would shinobi like Kuroi or Madara talk to her like she was something… important.

She had accepted the fact that Naruto and Sasuke were the tops of their generation. Back in the Academy, and later during and after the chuunin exams. They had grown to become the strongest shinobi of the village. Everyone looked up at them, admired them, even worshipped them. And she had been one of them, the only exception was that she was actually their teammate. So she had to deal with this fame and popularity more often. Every day, every moment.

But she didn't mind and why would she. She cared for them. For both of them, although she didn't really show it to Naruto. And she would do anything for them, even back then when she was a simple little girl with medical abilities.

But now… Kuroi had appeared to _her_, talked to _her_, even knew her name. Was it because she was Tsunade's student, she wondered.

Maybe… what other reason could there be.

Sakura, lost on her thoughts, looked outside the window, the sky darker and the lights of the village turn on like fireflies appearing slowly in the twilight. She noticed Tsunade staring at her shocked, and then turned to see Turo and Kakashi looking at her as well.

She gasped, unaware what they had been talking about. She had last heard Yamato telling of Kuroi.

Kakashi turned his head quickly looking back at the Hokage.

"We should reconsider this mission, Hokage-sama. Things are getting out of hand." He said, sounding angry.

Sakura frowned not understanding what she had missed.

"You're right. We'll have to wait for Shikamaru's team to arrive. They had greater issues than you. Their mission failed and… Hyuga was kidnapped."

"What?" Sakura gasped.

"They… faced Uchiha too!" Tsunade said, her grip tight at the desk, about to crack it to pieces.

"Too?" Sakura wondered.

Tsunade frowned looking at Sakura, examining her face.

"We shall talk about it tomorrow, when the other team arrives. You rest. Kakashi, I want you to stay."

Kakashi nodded and Turo and Yamato were about to leave, but Sakura stepped forward drawing their attention.

"Tsunade-sama, is Naruto alright?" she asked, fear taking over her.

"He's alive, but he must be under the influence of some kind of genjutsu. They're carrying him back. Temari is also under the same jutsu. It was Madara's work." She said silently.

Sakura looked at the wooden floor, her mind spinning.

They were all so sure Madara would choose to appear before their team, but it turned out to be the exact opposite. Kuroi only appeared before them to talk, while Madara appeared before Naruto's team _and _they had to face him. Why did they fall into this trap, how…

"Sakura?" she heard Tsunade's worried voice somewhere in the distance.

She felt her head about to explode. So many dangers, so many threats all around her, threatening her friends' and family's lives. Forcing her through a dark path, with no turning back. She felt like losing herself, like she would no longer be sane again after waking up. What had happened…

She noticed her hands shaking madly.

"May I have a word with her alone?" Tsunade said calmly at Kakashi, Turo and Yamato. They nodded and left the office.

Sakura heard the door shut and the sound seemed like the final drop, before her legs felt like jelly about to collapse.

Tsunade grabbed her quickly.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Tsunade cried and helped her to her chair by the desk.

Sakura looked up at her, the dim light from the streets outside reflecting on her beautiful smooth skin.

"Tsunade-sama, why is this all happening?" Sakura cried, tears warm falling on her cheeks.

Tsunade shook her head, kneeling to stand on the same eye level with Sakura.

"I wish I had an answer to this. I wish I had! Every day that passes in front of my eyes just fills me with new questions. And I cannot answer a single one of them. It's like the person with the fewer questions in the end wins or something." Tsunade chuckled, but it had no effect on Sakura.

"I want to turn back time, I want to see him again. See him and be with him, he would know what to do. Naruto and Sasuke. I wish we were kids forever, just going on missions with Kakashi-sensei." Sakura let a sob.

The stabs piercing her heart reached her soul. Like nothing worse could happen, now Naruto was under some genjutsu and probably, as it was Madara's technique, he would never wake up again. She wanted to scream. She wanted to _die…_

"Sakura, this is impossible and you know it!"

"But… Madara, he can read people's minds, he can teleport, maybe he can turn back time, maybe he can revive the dead. All I need is to find him and…!"

"Sakura, are you listening to what you're saying?" Tsunade grunted.

Sakura didn't think of what she was saying, she didn't pay attention to her sayings, her thoughts just reached her mouth and she just spoke, while her head was spinning in another world.

A world where she was happy and everyone around her was happy. Where the world and nature were happy.

"Sakura!" Tsunade shook her shoulders waking Sakura up from her daydreaming.

Sakura let another irritated sob, her vision blurry.

"Madara Uchiha came to me and told me…"

"He what?" Sakura gasped.

Tsunade frowned.

"Sakura, I really must check up on you! I told this before, where is your mind traveling dear?"

Sakura grunted angrily.

"I told you!" she whispered wiping away her tears.

"Sakura, you know he won't come back. Sasuke is gone!"

"No!"

"Sakura, he is gone, like my brother is gone, like the Third is gone, like so many are gone!"

"No, he's here!" Sakura said weakly touching her side of her forehead.

Tsunade smiled slightly and Sakura noticed her cry now as well.

She stroked her cheek and her other arm grabbed Sakura's trembling one.

"I cannot lose you as well, Sakura! I won't let this happen. If he takes you I'll-!"

"Why would he take me, Tsunade-sama? How could I be of any use in Madara's plans?" Sakura wondered, feeling Tsunade's grip around her hand tighten.

"I'll tell you. I think you should know." Tsunade muttered and told her of the night Madara Uchiha had visited her.

Sakura listened silently, feeling her world trembling down, piece by piece. Until there was nothing else left but ashes. Darkness, ashes and tormenting silence.

Madara Uchiha was after _her_?

Sakura stared into the nothingness, Tsunade's words ringing in her ears. She could almost imagine his face, his Sharingan and the piercing stare. His smirk.

She could almost see him in front of her, telling the words he had told to Tsunade.

Why hadn't he appeared before her. He could have, there had been chances. Why had he sent Kuroi to her.

_To injure Naruto, the other person I love more after Sasuke…_

He planned on breaking her apart, before hunting her down… but why?

Sakura had forgotten to breath and looked up at Tsunade, who was staring at her worried, her honey-brown eyes tearful.

She could hear her heart beating madly in her head.

"We will make it through, Sakura! I promise you that, we will! We are both strong, we can make it together!" Tsunade assured her stroking her hand.

Sakura could feel the strength in her master's voice, it felt like warmth. It felt good, this little hint of hope. It felt almost promising.

Sakura smiled slightly, it hurt.

"I'm not as strong as you, or Naruto! I won't be able to face Kuroi, let alone Madara!" Sakura admitted, feeling the hope disappear again.

"Of course you are, why can't you see it? Do not pity yourself, I didn't teach you to feel sorry for yourself! I taught you to feel sorry for the others who have to face you and fight with you!"

Sakura smiled remembering the specific day. It had been probably the most tiring day of her career as a kunoichi.

"It is the truth! Do you think I could beat Naruto? I can't even beat Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said, not really knowing how she could joke while her mind felt like trapped in moving sand.

"We can test this! Besides I haven't seen your improvement over the last three years. I feel really curious to see you fight!" Tsunade chuckled.

Sakura chuckled as well. She felt relieved, somehow lighter.

"Thank you!" Sakura whispered looking into Tsunade's eyes.

Tsunade smiled widely and hugged her.

"I'm so glad you're back to me!"

"So am I Tsunade-sama! So am I!"

They stayed like this for a long moment. Sakura felt the hope in her heart growing. Slowly, but steadily, although everything bad still haunted her mind. Naruto, Madara's plans about her, Kuroi, Neji missing…

She then remembered Kakashi and his health problem. Before Tsunade would send him to another mission, he should be attended first.

Sakura broke the hug and told Tsunade of Rin's and her findings about Kakashi's Sharingan.

Tsunade listened interested and finally agreed of examining Kakashi herself, before she and Rin would heal him.

"If he's outside call him in. You can go home, but I'll have a team of ANBU shinobi follow you. I won't leave you alone!" Tsunade said serious and walked Sakura by the door.

"Rest, my dear!" Tsunade said to her and kissed her forehead.

Sakura felt her heart flutter inside her chest, the massive power of this little hope her master had given her filling her with strength.

She smiled and greeted her shutting the door of Tsunade's office behind her. There was no one here, so she walked down the stairs to reach the entrance of the Hokage building. Outside it was night already.

Sakura noticed Kakashi-sensei leaning by a wall exactly opposite the entrance.

He had his hands hidden in his pockets and looked boringly around.

When he met Sakura's eyes he walked up to her.

Sakura smiled slightly, her eyelashes still wet from her tears. Tears that appeared too often lately…

"Did she calm down at all?" Kakashi asked grinning under the mask.

Sakura chuckled.

"Yes, I think so!"

"Well, I guess you're the antidote to her madness!" Kakashi said glancing at the Hokage building, like he was checking Tsunade wasn't standing there eavesdropping.

Sakura laughed and felt the hope grow tremendously in a second when her eyes met Kakashi's.

Sakura felt uncomfortable, her stomach tickling.

"Where is Rin-san and Chie-chan?" she asked, looking around her.

"I sent them at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar, I'll meet them later. They'll be staying at my place for tonight." He said casually.

"They could stay at… ehm, my parents' house. It's empty and I'm staying at Tsunade's so, they could make themselves comfortable there for… as long they'll be staying." Sakura said, not feeling that good of thinking of her parents.

She looked at Kakashi, the one good thing in this torturing path of life. This feeling, this growing flame inside of her, the hope increasing… it was all she needed right now. All needed to make herself calm down for the night and drown in her troubling thoughts tomorrow again.

Now she only wanted to feel peace. Not think of anything at all. Just shut down and fall into a deep sleep, so that she could think clearly when she would wake up.

If only she could fall in his arms… just for a little moment. Feel his warmth, listen to his heart, just blush and feel excited. Just hide in his embrace. In Kakashi's magical embrace.

"Ehm, before I forget, Tsunade-sama requested for you." Sakura said suddenly avoiding his stare.

Kakashi nodded.

"I guessed she would."

"I told her of your… surgery. She agreed, if she can examine you herself first." Sakura said looking back at him. She wanted to see his reaction. He was a man who avoided being the centre of attention.

"Great! Three medic-nins worrying so much about me!" he muttered, sounding a bit irritated with this whole matter of surgery.

"Lucky you!" Sakura joked. She had heard how men imagined nurses to be like and she couldn't help but shoot him a hint. He was always the one to make jokes, why couldn't she.

Kakashi looked down at her, a bit surprised.

Sakura blushed.

"I'll go then!" she said and walked past him, avoiding his stare.

"You know I didn't mean it like that!" Kakashi said loudly behind her back.

Sakura turned to look at him over her shoulder and smiled widely.

"Yeah right!" she said in response and heard him chuckle as she walked away.

____________

Kakashi rubbed his chin, feeling the blush all over his face and felt glad for wearing the mask. This stupid cloth had saved him so many times from awkward moments like this.

This joke of Sakura… it was strange and he liked this ecstatic feeling it suddenly burnt inside of him. He rubbed his knuckles and hid his hands in his pockets walking back into the Hokage building.

She had blushed, her cheeks had this beautiful, soft, peach color all of a sudden and she had avoided his stare. Her face stayed there in his mind for a long moment, as he enjoyed thinking of her like that, when he reached the Hokage's office.

He grunted silently to himself, trying to think clearly, but he couldn't.

Why did she throw him this joke about medic-nins, she wasn't the one who made the jokes. In fact he was sure she hated jokes, especially ones that underestimated the value and importance of women. She was clearly a feminist, a lot like Tsunade. This joke… it had intrigued him although it was nothing but a joke.

Did it mean anything, he wondered as his hand brushed the door handle.

She just made fun of him, he concluded. And he had liked it…

"We can talk through the door, if it suits you!" Kakashi heard Tsunade's shout all of a sudden and he flinched opening the door.

Stupid me, he thought.

"Hokage-sama!" he said calmly.

"Did your brain shut down or something?" Tsunade asked drinking from a green bottle. He could distinguish the sake's scent from miles away, and besides everyone in the village knew of the Hokage's unconditional love about this liquid.

And now he had to deal with Tsunade's jokes as well. She made the worst ones.

She placed the bottle on her desk and looked at him.

"Sakura told me of your problem. I'll examine you tomorrow morning, so come by the house. I can't afford having my best shinobi deal with headaches while fighting this bastard!" she muttered loudly.

"Aye, Hokage-sama!" he said.

"Why is he after her?" Tsunade wondered stroking the desk on which she was leaning, not looking at Kakashi.

She looked deep in thoughts, sad.

"Maybe he's after you, so he uses her as bait knowing what she means to you."

_What she means to me…_

"It doesn't sound right though. He was there, in my bedroom, Kakashi. He had there the perfect opportunity to kill me, torture me, do something. He never even _tried_ to hurt me. Besides telling me that he wanted a certain person to fulfill his plans and he just mentioned _her_, knew her name. He told me to keep an eye on her, what possibly could he mean?" she said concerned.

Kakashi felt the fear of Tsunade reaching him as well. The fear of knowing that someone he cared too much about was in danger, even now as they talked.

"Do you believe him?" Kakashi asked frowning.

Tsunade looked up at him thoughtful.

"I-I don't know! I don't want to, but… I do!" she sighed forcefully and stood up taking another sip from the sake.

She turned her back to him looking at the night covering Konoha.

"He sounded honest. In a way I never imagined a murderer to sound like. He talked about things. About the difference between good and evil. He said that… it's not like that. _We_ just look it this way, we have labeled everything in order to divide everything and everyone into black and white. But he's right… it's not like that. Life is something in between. No one is just a good or just a bad person. We all have our moments of goodness and evil. I'm the Hokage and hold the responsibility of thousands of people's safety, but I drink, I swear, I've killed. That doesn't make me neither a good person nor a bad one. We all are like this." She turned to look at him, her eyes shining.

"I agree, but it's beyond humans' nature to think of Madara Uchiha as a person who just did all this evil, because the circumstances let him to. He might have been a good person years ago, when he had a family, when he had friends, but not now. Whatever the reason, this _is_ evil what he does." He argued.

He killed children, he destroyed villages, homes, he tortured people in front of their families, how could this person have anything good in him. Even an insane person wouldn't do such things. No… only someone perfectly apathetic and sane could act and think so cruelly.

Tsunade stood silent, staring into nothingness.

Kakashi observed her, noticing her beautiful characteristics alter into agony.

"What are you thinking, Tsunade-sama?" he asked. He never asked such personal questions, especially not to the Hokage, but Sakura was in danger and it ate him from the inside. Whatever more Tsunade could tell him, or any plan she could have come up with, would be only for their benefit. They had to work together on this. All of them, every shinobi and kunoichi of Konoha.

All together, only then could they defeat Madara and his mad plans.

To keep Sakura from harm. He couldn't stand it remembering how fragile and weak she looked like when she was injured, a week ago. How she was in pain and all he could do was sooth her for only a couple of minutes. How helpless he was.

But he had promised to himself to protect her, no matter what. He would be there whenever she needed him.

He would…

"I try to connect the dots, but I can't. He mentioned of an ambition of his; to make people see like he sees. All I can think of his lecture of good and evil, black and white, is that he probably wants to make us see the essence of war. That it exists in order to keep the balance from peace of ruling, but… if we're talking about happiness, then how can we think of war being part of our lives. There is no good in it…!"

"It makes us see the importance of peace." Kakashi said silently.

Tsunade frowned and looked up at him.

"It's a classical example of balance, of action and reaction. One cannot exist without the other. If there was no war, there'd be no peace. We'd be talking about a world living in a dream. Feeling but not feeling. Knowing what we look at but not having the words to speak of them. If there were no wars around us, there would be no peace to hope for, to protect, to fight for. We'd wander around without goals, without dreams, without something to keep us on our feet. We'd be lost. There'd be no reason for the shinobi and the kunoichi to exist."

Kakashi sighed silently, feeling the warmth of his own exhale through his mask.

Tsunade moved her hand hesitantly, like she had thought of something, but rethought it before speaking. She looked a little excited.

"So he plans on controlling this balance? To be the one to decide when a war shall arise and when peace shall conquer? He plans on becoming a _god_?" she wondered loudly.

"We should search his past. Learn about his childhood, his puberty, when he became a shinobi. Learn him before concluding into such thoughts. It's too dangerous to act according to such loose assumptions. Tsunade-sama, you saw what happened in the last mission, ours, Shikamaru's."

Tsunade approached him slowly.

"I sent Jiraya to run a research, although I doubt there'll be something. Madara will definitely have got rid of any evidence of his young years. There will be little for us to find." She said tiredly.

"Where did you send him?" Kakashi asked.

"In the Land of Snow, this is where rumors say Madara trained when he was a chuunin." She said.

"Kuroi wore the military uniform of the Snow shinobi. Maybe they are related in some sort of way." Kakashi said glancing at the window behind Tsunade.

"Once Shikamaru and his team are back, I'll have another team to go collect any evidence. But first we need to know what they've encountered. If they've found out something we still don't know."

"What about Sakura?" Kakashi asked looking into Tsunade's eyes.

"There will be ANBU shinobi watching her. I can't let her out of my watch." She said a bit harshly.

"May I attend the team myself as well?" he asked with his serious tone.

If Sakura was indeed in grave danger, he wouldn't trust anyone else but himself to watch over her.

Tsunade looked concerned for a moment.

"You may, but don't forget your check-up tomorrow at dawn. The sooner we deal with this, the better. You're dismissed." She said and sat behind her desk, hiding her face in her palms.

"Aye, Hokage-sama!" he said and looked one last time over his shoulder at Tsunade, before walking away.

Kakashi shut the door behind him, almost bumping into Tenzo who was standing there.

"Hey, Tenzo-san!" Kakashi muttered.

Tenzo looked at him annoyed.

He didn't say a word before they reached the street outside the Hokage building. The night was cool, but beautiful.

Kakashi looked at Tenzo who was pressing his lips together, like he wanted so much to speak, but he couldn't.

Kakashi felt irritation grow, as Tenzo was following him like this. But he stayed silent walking with a quick pace to his house. He would have to change into his ANBU uniform and then, as fast as he could, he would go at Tsunade's house to watch over the one person he cared the most at the moment.

After five minutes, reaching the dark alley that led to his apartment, Tenzo decided to speak.

"You must be joking right? Are you going to watch over her, while you confessed to me what you feel about her? Are you serious?" he hissed silently.

Kakashi felt his heart beating faster.

"Tenzo, shut it! Of course I won't do _anything_, I'd never act so irresponsible. The Hokage ordered me to attend the team!" he shot harshly.

"You offered your services and she agreed, Kakashi, I heard you!" Tenzo said, pressing his forefinger on Kakashi's chest forcefully.

That's too much, he thought trying to keep himself from losing his temper.

"I can't just sit in my home, knowing that Uchiha Madara is after her. I can't just sleep and rest like everything will be alright, Tenzo, so drop this shit! I go!" Kakashi grunted climbing the stairs to his doorstep. He searched for his key on his pockets.

Tenzo pushed him on his shoulder. Kakashi looked at him furious.

"Do you want to know how _I_ see it? A thirty year old man watching through the window he's dear student sleeping, and being deep in thoughts of strange things I don't even want to imagine, Kakashi. That's how I see it and I can't just let you go and have fun with yourself-!"

Kakashi opened the door, shut it behind him and cornered Tenzo on the wall, in his dark apartment. Their faces were so close, their noses almost touched.

"How dare you speak of fun, when any moment Madara could appear in _her _room and take her, kill her! My duty is to watch over my student and this I'll do. No feeling will go in my way than my duty! So do not disrespect me again like this!" he grunted, feeling his head burn and his whole body shake.

Of course he would never harm Sakura like this. He'd never let himself think of her like this, imagine her like this. He never had and he would never in the future, it would only make him feel disgust for his own self. He would never let himself fall down this level. No… Sakura fulfilled desires of his that were carved in his soul much deeper. Desires which were created due to his pain, his grief and tormenting loneliness. He could never imagine her as a woman, she was something more. She was a soul who understood his pain, his torments, his grief and loss. She connected to him, like no one else did. Not even Rin.

He had found a soulmate in Sakura.

"Kakashi!" Tenzo whispered fixing his jonin vest, which Kakashi had used to lift him from the ground.

Kakashi walked to his wardrobe in his room and quickly undressed himself to put on the ANBU uniform.

"What?" he asked feeling a lot calmer now. He put on the turtleneck black, sleeveless shirt and pants. The metallic shield over his shoulders and the arm protectors. He took off his forehead protector and grabbed his katana from under his bed. He quickly threw all his stuff in the wardrobe and walked to Tenzo who was standing by the door.

He stayed in front of him, staring at him, keeping his Sharingan shut.

Tenzo looked at him, worried.

"Be careful!" he said not trying to hide his irritation and opened the door to jump down the dark alley.

"I'll go find Rin-san and Chie-chan and bring them here." He said back to Kakashi and disappeared with a jump over the roofs of the buildings of Konoha.

Kakashi sighed forcefully and locked the door behind him, hiding the key in a plant pot next to the door.

He looked up at the starry sky and thought of her. Her smile, her blush.

He jumped up another roof and observed the beautiful night and Konoha beneath it.

He ran as fast as he could to the west of Konoha, were Tsunade's huge house stood, where Sakura was in her room, thinking of Naruto, of Kuroi's words, of Madara and of Kakashi's embrace…

**Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Thanx so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, alerting :) **

**...until next time...!**


	24. Silver

**Good evening dear readers :)**

**This chapter is really different from the rest, but I must say it's perhaps my favourite-although I enjoy writing more adventurous scenes**

**I was listening to the wonderful song by Arno Elias "el corazon" -i suggest you listen to it while reading this little chapter...**

**HAVE FUN!!!**

Two red eyes… cutting through my soul.

Reaching my inner self, the one who's been suffering, crying for so long.

This inner self, trembling inside of me feels the cold touch of this unwelcomed hand.

Words echoing in my ears, like an untold prophecy of the ancestors.

How could I sleep…

I looked up watching the silver diamonds on the night sky. So calm, so peaceful…

The universe, a world so close to me, but so faraway. Distant, another kind of paradise. A one I so wished to be part of.

But my feet seem stuck, entangled in this world, on this Earth, on this ground.

I try to fly, I try to scream… but I can't.

Because _he's_ here… and _he's_ gone.

_He's _here and yet so faraway from me…

I see _him_, but I cannot touch _him_.

_He_ looks back at me, and only smiles. _He_ opens his mouth and speaks those words again and again…

_Take care of each other…_

_Take care of Naruto…_

I cannot hear _him_, I only read his lips…

If only I could touch them, feel them…

But I can't.

I can't.

_He_ fades away once again, while two red eyes stare at me from my left side.

I try to avoid them and focus on _him_, but he keeps saying those words.

Words about revenge.

Words about an unknown truth.

Words of compassion and hatred, words of black and white, of happiness and sorrow.

And _he's_ gone…

He vanished back into this other parallel universe in which he dwells now.

Far away from me…

I cry, I do not have the power to do anything else.

There's no strength in me no more, only pain and one word haunts me.

One word…

_Why…_

And he comes, he touches my hand and looks at me, like he's the only one who can help me.

He smiles at me compassionately and I only stare like an idiot.

Every cell of me knows who he is, what he's done, but still… I find comfort…

He looks into my eyes, into my soul, into my heart with these red, piercing eyes that see all.

I just follow him and he turns me to face him.

I stand there, motionless, like I'm daydreaming.

Am I…

I can't tell, I just follow him, like a puppet, and he smiles…

He smiles…

He tells me that everything will be alright, though I cannot actually hear his voice. I just know this is what he says.

I observe how his lips move and imagine a deep voice telling me this.

That everything will be alright…

Because… how worse can it be.

I've reached the bottom, at least that's how it feels.

There are two choices: stay here forever, in this darkness of my tormenting silence, or… go up.

Wake up from this horrid dream, this awful nightmare and fight.

Fight for the ones I love…

I look up, unaware that I've been crying all this time.

I can't feel my tears either…

How strange…

The face with the red eyes mumbles again, only silence.

I'm here for you, he says, again reading his lips.

My eyes fix on his lips and suddenly those lips are covered with a dark cloth…

I look into his eyes and suddenly I see only one red eye.

A red eye and a dark eye.

I observe it… I've seen it before.

It's lighter than black, but darker than grey, and it's shiny… it looks like silver… like the stars.

Can it be…

Is there such an eye colour…

I wondered, lost in this beautiful iris.

When a tear appeared I realized who he was…

It was… it was him...

I smiled, my lips moving on their own.

I wiped away my tears and smiled with all the strength left in me.

It felt so wonderful.

I had been lifted from this pitiful hole I was trapped in.

I was floating…

No, I was flying. Towards the night sky, towards the stars.

And he was there, watching over me…

Protecting me…

Kakashi was there for me.

I smiled and felt the world sleep in peace…

**Hope you liked it-tomorrow comes chapter 24...!**

**xxx**


	25. Threat

**Hey hey :)**

**as promised the next chapter-there is some finction going on here-and i'm talking about the fact that you can't actually see the chains of DNA through a microscope, perhaps through a transmission electron microscope-but that would sound even more fictional for a medic-nin to have such a machine in her house lol! I begin to like medic-nins very much as I write this story- they are the scientists in the Naruto world and Tsunade-sama is the head of them!!!**

**HAVE FUN!!!**

"Sakura?"

Sakura grunted, different ribbons of light floating in front of her eyes.

She tried to move, feeling stiff.

"Sakura? Wake up, my dear!" she heard Tsunade's soft voice call.

Sakura lifted herself and drew the red curtains to uncover the big window over her mattress.

She stared outside the window for a long moment, until she realized that it was barely dawn. The sky was still dark, but there was an orange tint coming from the east.

She yawned and stretched.

Standing up she heard voices from the house.

Tsunade's and a man's voice.

She put on her gown and tied her hair in a bun opening the door. The sudden light ruined her vision for a moment, causing her to flinch.

"Tsunade-sama, you should really consider doing something with these lights, they're too bri-!" Sakura paused, frozen, when she saw Kakashi-sensei sitting by the kitchen table looking at her.

"Good morning, Sakura!" he smiled at her and turned to look back at Tsunade.

"Only cats, as I said! The night was calm." Kakashi muttered sipping from a wooden cup his tea.

Sakura stood there, motionless, staring at her sensei.

It was barely dawn and he was here, in Tsunade's kitchen, drinking tea… and he was in his ANBU uniform.

Sakura gasped and felt the ground beneath her disappear when she remembered every single detail of her sensei in her dream.

A dream so vivid, so… genuine.

Sakura wanted to move, but she couldn't. Was this indeed a dream…

_Oh dear…_

"Sakura, are you alright?" Tsunade wondered looking at her student.

Sakura managed to smile stupidly and hurried to the kitchen, sitting at the farthest chair from Kakashi.

He looked at her with his casual look and drank his tea.

"I-I'm fine! I'm fine!" she said too cheerfully.

Tsunade lifted an eyebrow.

"You act strange, dear! Like you've drank too much coffee or something." Tsunade muttered and placed a cup of tea in front of her.

Sakura glanced at Kakashi nervously and drank her tea.

"Autch!" she gasped as the tea burnt her tongue. She could feel the numbness take over it.

_Shit!_

Was her dream a sign that the first person she would see in the morning would be _him_. Why couldn't it wait until she was fully awake, dressed.

_Oh dear, I'm in my PJs in front of sensei!_

She deeply desired to punch herself for thinking and being so stupid and tried to hide all these thoughts behind her cup of tea.

She didn't care if it burnt, she had to suppress her nervousness somehow and now this was all she had. Her cup of boiling tea.

"Sakura, once you're done burning your poor tongue, go and check this on the microscope." Tsunade said, making Sakura spit her tea back in the cup. Tsunade put a small glass tube on the table with a piece of little cotton in it.

"What is it?" she asked taking it in her hands.

"Kakashi's DNA sample. Analyze it so we know what we're dealing with." She said and sat by the table.

Sakura had totally forgotten that Tsunade had accepted in attending Kakashi's surgery, if she first examined him herself. She had been so lost in this anxiety of seeing her sensei live in front of her, after she had this intense dream of him, that she couldn't think clearly.

"Right away!" she said, taking this chance to leave and get away with her crazy thoughts.

She didn't even glance at Tsunade and Kakashi as she hold the tiny glass tube and hid in Tsunade's private medic-room.

It was a spacious chamber, with huge windows and equipment of each size and use. In one corner stood a huge pot with a tall cactus, Tsunade's favourite plant and next to it a desk covered with piles of Tsunade's personal medical research, recipes of poisons and antidotes, medical techniques and methods she had developed. It was like a real medic-nin's hideout.

Tsunade had mentioned to her this room, but it was the first time she ever visited it.

She was in complete awe observing every little piece of equipment and gadget. There was a small drawer with different kinds and sizes of tools, like lancets and tongs. Beside it was a shelf covered with glass bottles of many different colors of liquids, and underneath it a table with a modern microscope.

Sakura smiled and touched it gently, as it was a sensitive and surely very expensive piece of equipment.

Sakura took the tube with Kakashi's DNA and put the tiny cotton in a small plastic one with two drops of water.

She closed it and shook it in her hands.

The sunrays were finally arriving Konoha, as Sakura stared outside the window.

She smiled, feeling her former anxiety fade away as she lost herself into working.

Sakura placed the tube on the table and put on a pair of latex gloves of one use. She grabbed a small, flat piece of glass from a box beside the microscope and let a drop from the mixture of water and Kakashi's DNA sample on it.

She turned the microscope on and placed the sample under the light and looked through the lenses.

After adjusting the light she tried to distinguish the particles of the cells which contained Kakashi's genes.

She could see dark freckles, as the lenses were covered with dust.

Sakura sighed, remembering that her master was not one of the most organizing and clean people. She tried to clean it with her gown's sleeve and looked back at the sample.

She heard a loud chuckle and turned to look at the door.

Tsunade and Kakashi were at the door, looking at her, smiling.

"Straight into work, I like it!" Tsunade said happily and approached Sakura, placing her hand on Sakura's back.

Sakura tried to ignore a certain someone and focused at the tiny linear dots connected to each other. She zoomed on one of them and tried to make the different shapes out. She tried to remember all the books and scrolls she had read about genetics, DNA structure and the differences between persons' genes.

Different characteristics are translated into different rows of bases in the long chain of the DNA.

She could see the chains, swirling in pairs.

She looked up at Tsunade, feeling her eyes losing focus for a second as she tried to adjust them.

"Ehm, we need to find the bases' row and line it up and compare it with the Uchihas' sample." She said feeling a lot calmer, as she only had to talk about genes.

"Great, then do it. The Uchihas' sample is in this drawer." Tsunade said and gestured to Kakashi to sit by a chair in the middle of the room.

Sakura avoided Kakashi and opened the drawer Tsunade had shown her.

She gasped noticing hundreds of small glass tubes, bearing tags with different names on it. She noticed a glass tube with the name Hyuga on it, and behind it the Uchihas' sample. She wondered whose Uchiha this blood was as she looked through the clear, crimson liquid.

Was it Sasuke's…

"For heaven's sake, Kakashi, I'm not a dentist! Sit still!" Tsunade complained.

Sakura heard Kakashi sigh silently and couldn't help but smile.

She past by them, always avoiding to look into Kakashi's eye, and worked on his DNA sample.

Tsunade had him look through his Sharingan and hold her palms on it as she felt the chakra his eye was consuming and the damage it caused to his brain.

Sakura noticed how he was moving his leg nervously and Tsunade shouted at him to stay still for the second time.

Sakura signaled, using basic medic-ninjutsu, and managed to analyze the different rows of bases the two DNAs consisted of.

She wrote down on a piece of scroll the different rows and, finally handed Tsunade the two scrolls.

She fixed her eyes on them for a long moment, in which Sakura found herself staring through the window the morning coming by.

The warm colors shoved off the cold ones from the night. The last, brightest Northern Star sparkled one last time, before a sunray made it vanish into thin air.

"Good work, Sakura! I'll work on this later. But I'll have to speak to Rin first. And you, Kakashi, you do have a big problem going on in your brain. I won't say it'll be an easy procedure, as there are great chances you could lose your Sharingan, but if you do want to continue with this surgery, you must know that you'll be in perfect hands." Tsunade announced, sounding really professional, something Sakura always admired in her mentor.

"I'm already aware of that!" Kakshi said calmly, grinning under his mask.

"So, will you proceed?" Tsunade asked him.

Kakashi glanced at Sakura and then back at the Hokage.

"If I don't, your student will kill me. So I have no choice!" he said.

Sakura grunted.

"I-I didn't say I'd kill you, I…!"

"I'm just kidding, Sakura!" Kakashi said, his mask twitched.

Sakura felt her insides bounce and her cheeks felt warm.

She turned quickly around, pretending to be cleaning the tools she had used.

"I guess you know of the recovery part, right?" Kakashi wondered sounding serious again.

Tsunade nodded.

"Well, it's a brain surgery. Your nerve-network is part of your brain, and linked with your chakra network, so this will need time to work. You won't be able to use your Sharingan for a while, if everything works fine. You won't be able to use any jutsu, at least not for two weeks I presume after the surgery. I hate this, as much you hate it, I'm sure, but Sakura is right. If you continue using your Sharingan… it could prove fatal." Tsunade said in a grief tone and hid the scrolls with Kakashi's and Uchihas' DNA translation in a drawer by her desk.

Kakashi nodded understandingly and stood up.

Sakura looked at him, noticing the worry in his normal eye, as he kept his Sharingan shut. She observed the scar on his left eye and remembered the day Rin had told her of that day; the day Obito Uchiha had died, and his gift to Kakashi. His Sharingan.

Her heart beat faster, as she knew how he felt. He had lost a best friend, a comrade. He had been helpless, unable to save him.

Just like she was for Sasuke…

She didn't move, when their eyes met and she smiled back at him, when he smiled at her.

If only I could see that smile, she thought and flinched.

"I'll head straight to the Hokage building. Kakashi, please tell Rin to come by my office. The sooner we deal with your problem, the better."

"Aye, Hokage-sama!" Kakashi said and walked to the door.

Tsunade put on her favorite heels and Kakashi his boots, while Sakura observed them.

"Tsunade-sama, should I come with you?" Sakura wondered. She wanted to help in anything. Today Shikamaru's team would probably arrive and she wanted to be there.

"I can't wait for you, there is an ANBU team outside. They will watch over you." She said and put on her green anorak.

"I can escort her, Hokage-sama!" Kakashi said calmly standing by the door.

"Oh, n-no, you don't have to. It's…!"

"Great! Watch over her! See you all later." Tsunade announced satisfied and shut the door behind her.

Sakura wanted the earth beneath her to crack and swallow her, let her disappear from this awkward moment. This weird silence and this tempting grin from under his mask.

He would be here, waiting for her, while she would be dressing and thinking of him. Imagining him, like she did in her dream. His stare, his smile.

That felt so embarrassing, she couldn't even speak.

"I can wait outside if you want!" he said, like he had read her mind.

Sakura gasped and hoped Kakashi hadn't taken notice of it.

"Ehm, it's ok! I'll be quick!" she said hastily and ran into her room.

She shut the door, aware of his presence, of his deep voice and this strange cool attitude that made her blush.

"Oh dear!" she sighed and threw her gown on her mattress and put on her normal clothes. She tied her bag with her weapons around her waist and zipped her red shirt. Now she needed to freshen herself, but for that she needed to go to the bathroom, which meant she had to go out of her room and face him.

_Shit!_

When exactly did all this start, she wondered frowning and stood by the door handle.

_Oh come on!_

She grunted and tried to look normal as she opened the door of her room. She noticed he was still standing motionless by the door.

She hid in the bathroom and did as quick as she could, trying to make no sound. All the time she muttered to herself and blushed.

When she was ready she, again, stood there by the door handle. This strange kind of anxiety drove her mad. She was no little girl anymore. Chie could act like that, in front of her new crush, Turo, but not her. She was eighteen, way past the age of acting so crazy around a man she liked.

Or was she not, she wondered.

Well, she was still a teenager, but he was… a man. Thirty years old. Although he only looked like twenty-three, maybe twenty-four. But no! He was thirty years old, twelve years older than her. So she definitely didn't need to act like a little teenager around him. She actually didn't need to show him anything, that would be totally stupid. She would only embarrass herself to the highest level.

_I don't need this!_

She did feel attracted to him, she did have dreams of him often lately, she did crave to fall in his warm embrace again. Feel him, listen to his heart. She did like the idea of him liking her the same way, but that was way inappropriate and impossible. He was her sensei, and definitely with interest in real women. Like Rin.

She could never win a place in his heart. Especially not like this.

I must find my cool and act normal around him. There can be nothing else, besides there are greater things to worry about, she thought intensively and opened the door.

Still, she missed a heartbeat seeing him there, by the door, looking at the kitchen boringly.

Did he act like this on purpose, she wondered. Did he know.

But how… well, he does observe, even with one eye, she thought with a frown as she slowly approached him. She stood next to him putting on her boots and he opened the door, letting her pass in front of him.

Sakura grabbed the key and could feel his stare on her back.

When she turned to lock the door, she let a cry of surprise as, suddenly, Kakashi was wearing his ANBU mask, as their identities must stay secret.

She hadn't been used in seeing those strange, porcelain, animal masks with the red markings, especially so close. They looked… funny. His seemed to be the animated version of a dog's face.

She heard Kakashi chuckle and she locked the door, blushing.

They walked down the stairs through the huge cherry trees.

The sun was still hidden behind the trees and the sky had a light blue color, while the atmosphere was chilly.

Sakura crossed her arms in front of her chest, as the chill reached her fingers.

"Were you in the ANBU team that was watching over me?" she asked, just trying to fill the strange silence between them.

He looked at her through the mask.

"Yes!" he said simply with his hands in his pockets.

Sakura caught herself observing his tattoo on his left forearm, the logo of the ANBU shinobi.

She looked quickly away.

"Do you ever rest?" she wondered.

He chuckled again.

"Sometimes!" he said looking straight ahead.

"Well, you'll have all the time to rest pretty soon!" Sakura said, imagining already Kakashi stuck in his bed, unable to move, just reading his weird novels and drinking tea.

"I guess so." He said, sounding a bit grief.

Sakura looked at him, noticing the alteration in his voice.

"You still don't like the idea of the surgery, do you?"

Kakashi glanced at her and then stayed silent for a moment.

"I try to think of it as something necessary, but still… it's a brain surgery and not a broken bone or an injured organ. It's my brain and the Sharingan. I know the possibilities of failure and success, and if it was in my hands, well…you know what I'd decide!" he said. Sakura could sense the smile under his ANBU mask and his own mask.

"You wouldn't do it!" Sakura muttered looking the street beneath her.

"You wonder why, don't you?" he asked calmly.

Sakura looked at him and nodded.

"It's a risk I do not really intend of taking, but…there are two things happening which I cannot let them be. Our village lies under great danger and every shinobi and kunoichi must be well prepared and alert every minute, so leaving now for an operation is like running away. On the other hand, though, I cannot fight and secure a victory without my Sharingan and, according to three medic-nins, if I use it more it could kill me…that's why I cannot tell you for sure what my decision is. Honestly, if it lay in my hands and we were living in times of peace… I'd take my chances and live in this state, whatever state that is."

Sakura could see his point of view, but still…

"I'm well aware, Sakura, that the Hokage and the whole shinobi community would hope I'd have this surgery so that they have at least one little piece of hope. I know many believe in me in this village, and I never forget that. Perhaps this is the only reason I'm agreeing with this." He sighed silently.

"You think you'd disappoint him?" Sakura asked, as the question popped out without really thinking of the consequences of entering someone else's personal life like this. But she wanted to know.

Kakashi turned to face her.

Sakura hoped she could see his face, although she could perfectly imagine how he would look like. Serious, calm, maybe there'd be a sad smile.

He looked away, his gaze lost somewhere faraway.

"That day I changed. I became who I am today… although it meant my best friend had to die… . And he never knew; that I thought and I still think of him as my best friend. This eye means more than a gift from a friend." He said.

Sakura looked at her feet, one after the other stepping on the road. One after the other with a steady pace, while her mind traveled towards an imagination of Uchiha Obito. A person who'd be now as old as Kakashi, maybe he would be the sensei of another team as well. And he and Kakashi would go to Jo's bar every night and hit on women, laugh, drink and talk all night.

She'd like to have met him. This Uchiha Obito. He must have been a wonderful person.

If he was still alive, Sakura thought, Kakashi would probably not be so secretive and so in undertone.

"But I'll have the surgery, don't worry! If you hadn't convinced me, I'd still be arguing about it." He said, sounding suddenly much more cheerful.

Sakura missed a heartbeat.

She didn't know what to say.

She had been so sure, Rin was the one who had convinced him, but… it was her nonetheless.

She smiled, feeling a little proud.

"It will go just fine, I'm sure it will!" she told him honestly. She herself would make sure nothing would go wrong. How could she. There was no way she'd hurt her sensei. No way.

"I trust you!" Kakashi said and looked at her for a moment.

Sakura smiled at him.

_I trust you too…_

_____________

At the Hokage tower, Sakura bid her farewell to Kakashi and let him return to Rin and Chie.

Sakura entered the busy and crowded building.

By the entrance she saw Shikaku Nara and Choza Akimichi, Shikamaru's and Choji's fathers. They were two distinctive jonins, heads of their clans and comrades ever since their childhood. Shikaku was a perfect resemblance of his son, though much handsomer and with a more stiff necked figure. His face was scarred and he looked much more vibrant than his son. Next to him, Choza petted his fingers one after the other on the handle of his katana. He wore an outstanding armor, freshly polished with his clan's symbol in Japanese on his chest. His long, bushy hair was tied loosely on his back. They were talking secretly wearing frowns.

Sakura looked at them, waiting for them to notice her before greeting them.

Shikaku immediately smiled when he did notice her. Choza turned around to face her, beaming.

"Good morning Sakura-chan!" they both greeted her.

"Good morning, Nara-sama, Akimichi-sama!"

"Are you heading for the Hokage's office?" Shikaku asked.

"Yes, I am! Are there any news from Shikamaru-san's team?" Sakura asked, sure that if they had already arrived, Shikaku would have known as he was the jonins' Commander.

Shikaku's face darkened.

"No, not yet! There's a jonins' team looking for them at the borders, if they see them they'll assist immediately and inform us." He said, his voice steady and deep.

Sakura sighed silently, having a very bad feeling. She was already aware of Neji's disappearance and of Naruto and Temari-san's state of coma. But there was something else. Was it this uncomfortable air coming from Nara-sama and Akimichi-sama, she wondered. She wasn't sure, but she had to find out.

She was about to greet them and go find Tsunade, but Choza stepped towards her, his fist on his katana.

"Sakura-chan, the Hokage is on a meeting with the Elders at the moment. You should better not interrupt." He told her, his voice much softer than Shikaku's.

"Oh, alright. Thank you for informing me. I'll be back!" she said and left the Hokage tower, standing in front of the building.

This feeling. This strange threat that made her heart beat faster and her hands shake. What was it… . She tried to take deep breaths and calm down, but nothing changed. She looked up at the bright sky.

This weird heaviness felt like pressing her heart downwards, through her guts. She felt her airway blocked, the air reaching her lungs ice cold, the oxygen reaching her limbs inadequate, the beautiful feeling of being so complete she had some minutes ago as she had departed from her sensei… it felt like it never happened, like a distant memory.

She looked around her, maybe there'd be some sort of sign, something that could tell her, warn her of this unseen threat.

But everything seemed normal. The people, the buildings, the shops, the streets, the birds, the trees.

_Two red eyes…_

She gasped.

Now the whole dream appeared into her mind. When she had seen Kakashi that morning in Tsunade's kitchen she had only remembered the beautiful part of her dream, the rest of it… it was a nightmare.

She had dreamt of Madara. He had been there, speaking to her, holding her hand, _comforting her_…

She felt the heaviness drown her heart and crush it as the world around her disappeared and she returned in this dream, in a darkness, with stars above her and he was there. Staring at her with his piercing eyes. With the Sharingan.

Her hands were numb and her feet glued to the ground.

She looked down to her feet, trying to move them with her eyes, but she couldn't. They wouldn't listen.

She thought of walking so intensively it hurt. But her feet wouldn't move.

_What's wrong?_

She looked upwards, moving her head so quickly, that her neck cracked and suddenly she saw only light. Bright light and those two eyes…

_________

Nobody could really tell which was the strangest day in Konoha.

Every day held a shocking surprise, either a good one or a bad one.

But this sunny day, was definitely one of the scariest ones.

Tsunade had reached her limits.

The council of Elders, for one more time, lectured her of her unawareness about Madara's threat and his actions, of Shikamaru's team's fate, of Sakura's questioning part in the story. They shouted at her, disrespected her, swore at her, and once more doubted her appropriateness to be Hokage and run this village.

Tsunade had stayed calm, she always did. Well most of the times…

Shizune's and Jiraya's absence had been intense that moment. She had wished so deeply to have them back with her, knowing that they both were in danger, somewhere far away from her.

But she acted as she should. As a Hokage should act.

But the moment she exited the huge, round and dark chamber she had to deal with a problem that felt like a stab in her heart.

A young chuunin had been waiting for her to finish with the meeting to tell her that her student had collapsed in the entrance of the tower.

Tsunade had ran so fast to find Shikaku and Choza attending the pink-haired girl, who was laying there on the stairs with a cut on the side of her head and her eyes turned in their sockets, flickering. The girl was in spasms, shaking in Nara's arms.

Tsunade knew she had punched many, in order to reach her beloved student. She held her in her arms and vanished, with the greatest velocity, to the hospital of Konoha.

Well aware of the jonins running behind her, and the ANBU team that was watching over Sakura , she reached the hospital in eight minutes. In the meantime, she swore under her breath everyone for not being able to see or sense whoever or whatever caused Sakura this.

Panting, she burst the doors open and many pairs of eyes stared at her, shocked with mouths wide open, seeing her with the shaking girl in her arms.

Tsunade didn't know what she had said, to whom she shouted, who else she punched. She only knew that Sakura was finally on a bed in the emergency room, with doctors and medic nins over her.

Tsunade stood beside them, unable to think clearly to help.

She just watched, every now and then wiping some hot tears away from her cheeks, every time they tickled or blocked her vision.

Her eyes fixed on Sakura.

She was opening her mouth so wide, while her eyes were pure white. Tsunade waited to hear a loud scream, but there was no sound coming from the girl. She just shook like mad on the bed, while four nurses were needed to keep her stable.

Tsunade placed instinctively her palm over her mouth, when she noticed one medic-nin grabbing Sakura from her throat and forcing Sakura's head to look upwards in order to open her airway.

Tsunade gasped, her heart missing a beat, as a dark cloud emerged from Sakura's mouth, like a semi-transparent liquid in a size of a fist.

Sakura, then, yelled with pain and her shaking stopped. The medic nin grabbed the strange, floating liquid and placed it in a bowl, covering it. One of the nurses, quickly, hid the bowl in a refrigerator.

Tsunade approached slowly, noticing Sakura's eyes being shut as she lay unconscious.

A nurse suddenly touched her on her forearm, making her flinch.

"Hokage-sama, there is a man named Nara outside. He requests to see you." She said nervously.

"I can't!" Tsunade growled, not taking her eyes off Sakura.

"H-He said, it's an emergency." The nurse whispered.

Tsunade immediately understood. She had to let Sakura under the medics' care, there was nothing she could do under this state she was. Furious with everyone, out of control…

She grunted forcefully, almost breaking the door of the emergency room.

Shikaku was there, his face grief.

"Hokage-sama, they arrived! They are three hours ahead to the west. Inoichi-san and his team spotted them and guide them back home." He said, in his professional tone.

Tsunade marched outside the hospital and looked up at the sky.

"OWL!" she shouted to nobody.

After a second, a man in the ANBU uniform appeared in front of her behind a cloud of smoke.

"Aye, Hokage-sama!" he announced standing straight.

"Do not leave Sakura Haruno from your eyes, understood? Or I'll kill you with my bare hands! Do not let anyone, and I mean it, _anyone _enter this building without my permission!" she growled and the ANBU shinobi bowed and disappeared to inform his comrades.

Tsunade and Shikaku ran towards the entrance of Konoha, where they'd be waiting for Shikamaru's team to finally arrive.


	26. Hatred

**Sooo, chapter 26...!**

**Here it goes...HAVE FUN!!!**

The morning breeze had subsided as the sun reached its zenith and the trees above Rin filtered the air, making her feel the fresh air reaching her soul.

She smiled and glanced at Kakashi beside her looking at the trees as well.

He looked rather pleased, but still there was this little glimpse of concern drawn on the small part of his face that was visible. He walked with his hands in his pockets, dressed in his jonin uniform.

Rin was glad to be with him. Though she needed quite a long time to get used to him again and stop feeling guilty every time he was around, she also felt this beautiful sensation of lightness. She couldn't stop thinking of the nights they spent together talking about almost everything, during their trip to Konoha from the Village of the Golden Path.

It was a long time she had enjoyed herself so much.

They had laughed together. They had talked about Chie, about their training days as genins, about Kakashi's ANBU years, about her journeys around the five great shinobi countries, about Obito…

It was such a wonderful time, she often caught herself wishing those nights never ended.

Being back with him, she couldn't ask for anything more.

This is why she had dedicated so much time and effort on his problem with the Sharingan. Ever since she had found herself after Obito's death, two years later, she had started her own research on finding the cure. Discovering the source of the problem and finding a solution. This research lasted for many years.

And, out of the blue, Kakashi's student appeared on her doorstep, who was a medic-nin as well.

Now was finally the time to help him, and she would offer her service gladly. For him she'd do anything.

One of those things was to face this strange, short-tempered Hokage again.

A scary woman she was, and rude as well.

Rin felt a grip in her stomach thinking of the Hokage becoming so furious with Kakashi, because of his mission's failure and bringing friends with him. It must have looked like Kakashi had gone on this trip for fun. Surely Kakashi would never act like this.

She remembered him as one of the most dedicated shinobi, even in his childhood. He always took his missions too seriously. He'd never mess fun, or feelings, with his duty as a shinobi.

She used to envy him for this strong dedication he hold for his village and his missions. He'd never fail, because of this strength, of this strange way he used to suppress anything else and focus on his mission and his mission only.

She observed him, looking calm.

He was always calm. Serious, always trying his best in everything. He was always top of his class. The smartest one, the prodigy.

It was strange how these memories flooded her mind as she walked through the streets of Konoha, her home once upon a time.

She felt like she was thirteen again, staring at Obito trying to fool Kakashi and convince him to compete with him in the afternoon training. Kakashi would always act cool, not paying attention, saying these things were for kids. And Obito would continue bragging him and then make jokes.

Rin smiled remembering the tickling feeling in her stomach she had every time she was close to young Kakashi. How she always tried to make him notice her.

What happy years…

So many memories this place brought her. Konoha.

Much had changed since the last time she had set eyes on this village. It had grown and many buildings were obviously new. Freshly painted, more modern. The Hokage building was distinguishable from every part of the village, with a tall, round roof with the colorful bricks.

She had to admit it felt unfamiliar. Many people watched her with questioning frowns. Nobody knew her. They only saw a foreign woman walking beside Kakashi.

Instinctively she stepped a little closer to him.

He glanced at her, his mask twitched.

Kakashi seemed to smile under the mask. She had forgotten to read all those signs and twitches of the cloth, in order to distinguish his expressions underneath it.

She smiled back at him.

"Konoha has changed." She said observing a group of three children with the shiny forehead protectors giggling together.

"Hmm!" Kakashi nodded.

"The mountain is also altered!" she noticed, seeing the great hill standing on the north of the village with the faces of the five Hokages of Konoha carved on the limestone. She frowned, covering her eyes with her palm, to see the new Hokage's face, next to Minato-sensei's face.

Minato-sensei…

"Eighteen years, isn't it?" she asked.

Kakashi glanced at the mountain.

"Yes!" he mumbled.

"I wouldn't be able to live here anymore. It's too…!"

"Yeah, I know. You just get used to it." Kakashi said silently.

Rin felt her heart heavy.

It was too painful. Everything just brought them all back. Her sensei, her mother, Obito…

She could feel Kakashi's stiff figure next to her.

He was thinking the same.

He has been through so much, and all by himself. In addition he thought _I _was dead as well, she thought feeling all the guilt return and burn her insides.

I should have stayed, she thought.

But if she had…

_No, I can't change the past. What's happened is long gone, unchangeable. Long gone…_

"Would you like to see him?" she heard Kakashi suddenly ask, waking her from her thoughts.

Rin flinched looking at him.

"You mean Obito?" she asked, although she knew perfectly well whom he meant.

Kakashi nodded looking at her with his one eye.

Rin looked in front, feeling Kakashi's stare.

She wanted to visit him. She wanted to see where he was. Where Kakashi was probably for hours ever since she had abandoned him.

Of course she'd visit Obito. There was no day that passed that she didn't think of him. No day she didn't wish he was alive, knocking on her door wearing this wide, glorious smile of his.

"I'd like that!" she said smiling.

Kakashi smiled at her and suddenly halted.

Rin followed his gaze watching a jonin running towards them.

A young man, holding a large envelope in his hand, came rushing and, winded, stopped in front of them.

"Kakashi-sama! The-!" the man paused noticing Rin and bowed slightly at her. She bowed back.

"Kakashi-sama! The Hokage requests all jonins and chuunins to attend the alert meeting at the Hokage building right away!" he said, trying to catch his breath.

Rin noticed a long scar extending from his one cheek across the other. He looked young, but really tired, assuming from the black circles under his eyes.

"Iruka, what happened?" Kakashi wondered sounding alert.

"I just came from the Academy. The genins are sent home. All I know is that Shikamaru-san's team arrived. Naruto and the Kazekage's sister are in the hospital!" he said quickly.

Kakashi's eye almost popped out and he took his hands out of his pockets.

"Let's go then!" he said harshly.

"Do I know you from somewhere, ma'am?" Iruka asked looking at Rin.

Rin smiled at him, thinking he looked rather cute.

"My name is Rin. I'm a friend of Kakashi's."

"Rin? You mean his former teammate? Weren't you-!"

"Hey, let's talk later, shall we?" Kakashi shot, he was standing on a roof looking a bit angry.

Rin and Iruka followed him and they ran towards the Hokage tower.

____________

The building was empty, only the secretaries and the guards stood at their usual postures in the foyer.

Kakashi, followed by Rin and Iruka, hurried down the stairs that led to the great, underground meeting's chamber, where the Hokage and the Elders would gather to discuss about important issues.

The corridor was much darker than the one leading to the Hokage's office, with candles lit on the walls.

There were many rooms, most of them functioning as storage rooms for files, documents of different cases and missions, historical books. All guarded all times.

With a quick pace he finally reached another pair of stairs, which were guarded by three ANBU shinobi.

They signaled them to stop.

"Kakashi, here you are. The Hokage has been asking for you!" the ANBU shinobi said calmly, his porcelain mask the face of a panther.

"I know!" Kakashi said and walked past them.

"Ma'am, you are not allowed to enter!" the same shinobi said harshly to Rin.

Kakashi looked back at Rin and approached her.

"I'm sorry, you should wait outside, alright?" he said silently.

Rin grabbed his hand and looked into his eye concerned.

He flinched.

"I want to help, Kakashi! Let me help." She whispered.

Kakashi felt her warm grip around his hand, making him feel a bit uncomfortable.

"I'll let the Hokage know of this. But you cannot come now. I'll come as quickly as I can!" he said and left her behind.

He followed Iruka, who shot him a worried glance and entered the huge chamber.

He shut the door behind him, feeling suddenly nervous with the massive crowd in the chamber.

It was a round amphitheatre, with no windows, only candles hanging from the round ceiling. A loud buzzing echoed like a huge insect, as so many people, jonins and chuunins mumbled with each other.

Kakashi had only been at such kind of meetings few times. The last time had been three years ago, when the threat of the Akatsuki lingered.

Not much had changed now. Only this time Madara Uchiha was the new threat.

Kakashi pressed his jaws together and walked down the small stairs towards the middle of the amphitheatre where the Hokage stood.

Turning his gaze, he noticed many eyes staring at him.

"Hokage-sama!" he announced.

Tsunade turned quickly to look at him.

Kakashi missed a heartbeat noticing Tsunade's altered face. Her eyes seemed ready to burst out of their sockets. It was obvious she had been crying. Her forehead was covered in wrinkles and her lips disappeared in her mouth as she pressed them together with all her might.

Her pale face looked almost white under the candlelight.

"Kakashi, were the hell have you been?" she hissed, so that only he could hear her.

Kakashi was about to answer, but she signaled him not to speak.

"Didn't you see anyone as you escorted Sakura this morning to the tower? Didn't you see or _sense_ anyone?" she asked, this time her voice deep like she suppressed new tears to emerge.

She looked at him like she was aching.

Kakashi frowned.

"No! Why are you asking this, Hokage-sama?" he wondered, feeling suddenly the air thin.

"He found her, Kakashi! This is what I mean! The fucking bastard, Uchiha, he found Sakura and poisoned her! She's under some kind of genjutsu no one has ever seen! And neither you nor the ANBU team that was watching over her saw _anything_!" she hissed furiously.

Kakashi was speechless.

_What…?_

Sakura… she was attacked.

He grunted forcefully and shut his eyes trying to fight the urge of shouting and leave to find _him_. Find him and _kill him_.

His veins were about to explode and his head ached tremendously. He gritted his teeth, not caring if he broke his jaws or crushed his teeth.

He felt his fists so tight, making the blood stop running through them.

_Sakura!_

"Where is she?" he grunted.

Even if he showed any emotion, he didn't care. Even if all the shinobi community of Konoha was here, watching him, he didn't care.

Sakura was attacked, while he was away from her. For once more he had broken his promise. He wasn't there when she needed him. He had failed to protect her again…

I'll kill him…, he thought intensively.

"At the hospital!" Tsunade whispered, looking cautiously at him seeing his altered expression.

An expression of loathing for Madara, and pain.

Kakashi took a deep breath, his nose hissed as the air made its way through the cloth, and gathered all his strength he had to sound calm and logical.

"Hokage-sama, I ask your permission to watch over Sakura myself and leave this moment. You can send someone later to fill me in with this alert meeting." He said with his serious tone, his voice trembling slightly.

Tsunade frowned and a wave of color reached her cheeks for a second.

"Do not let her out of your watch!" she whispered and turned her back to him.

Kakashi bowed slightly and ran towards the exit.

"Kakashi-sama!" he heard Iruka shout, but he didn't pay attention.

He had a mission now...

____________

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her face in her palms. Maybe all this mixed heaviness of different feelings would be erased.

All this anger eating her from the inside. It made her heart burn and ache so much, she had to gasp for air.

She grunted and inhaled deeply.

An ANBU shinobi approached her.

"Are you alright, Hokage-sama?" he asked concerned.

Tsunade nodded at him and then turned to look at her audience.

The shinobi community of Konoha; hundreds of chuunins and jonins watching her.

There was silence and she could hear everyone's breath, everyone's heartbeat.

She made a step towards them.

"Jonins and Chuunins of Konoha! This alert meeting must stay under the greatest secrecy. As a result I request from you all _not_ to speak about any of this outside these walls. Understood?" she asked, her voice loud and steady.

"AYE, HOKAGE-SAMA!" the crowd said as one.

"The reason I called you all is the new evil which threatens our village. He's name is Madara Uchiha! Most of you know him or has heard of him. He used to be one of the Akatsuki and he's one of the founders of Konoha. He has developed a strong hatred for his village and his clan. As his clan is now extinguished, he turns all his forces against us. He is considered to be the strongest shinobi in the five great shinobi countries. He has attacked our home three years ago, and now he's back killing genins all over the countries. He has killed many great shinobi of Konoha and attacked some of our greatest jonins, who are now under special medical care. Shinobi and kunoichi of Konoha, I'm sorry to say this, but we are now at war with Madara Uchiha! He shall no longer live to live another day. He shall no longer live to torture or kill!" Tsunade paused and felt an intense grip in her heart.

She looked at the faces around her.

"I ask for your help, now! We have to know as much as we can about our enemy. Find out his weaknesses, learn his personality so that we can defeat him. He works with accomplices all around the countries, who help him and do the dirty work for him. I plan on sending teams to track them down and take them down. We must show him that we do not fear. That we stand our ground!" Tsunade felt her throat burn and she hardly swallowed.

"But first I will tell you of everything we know about him. He is a specialist in genjutsu and he walks around always with his Sharingan activated. Eye contact _must _be avoided. Or else he'll get you under his genjutsu. He plays mind games. The important thing you all must always remember is his possession of two strange abilities. These abilities make him impossible for us to find him. He can teleport and he can read people's minds. Be careful, if you ever face him, as he knows what you think, so be wise and act carefully. Try to block your thoughts and plans, try to confuse him and show him you know of his powers. Make him fear _you_!"

The audience sat in silence around her, staring at her. Some with scary looks, others with determined frowns, others confused and others with sad ones.

"Hokage-sama, excuse me!" Ten Ten suddenly raised her hand and stood up facing Tsunade. Tsunade nodded and let her proceed.

"If he can read people's minds, is it not better to avoid _any _conflict with him? I mean, he'll know who we are and what kind of fighters we are, even before we have the chance to fight with him, right? Are we not offering him now a chance to use this against us? I mean, he'll know that we know. But how will it help-if he knows that we know?" she asked flickering her eyes with the play of the words she had used.

Tsunade made one step towards Ten Ten. Lee was sitting next to her, looking impatiently at Tsunade.

"You use it against him! Try to make him flinch. Try to make him respect you. He plays mind games, remember! Use the techniques he uses against him. This is the weakness of every shinobi and kunoichi. Your own powers turned against you. But be cautious! This is the use of the Sharingan. It can see your moves and techniques quicker than you, even before you know it. Probably this foreseeing ability of his is an evolution of his Sharingan."

"Does he need to have eye contact to read your mind?" Ten Ten asked again, frowning.

Tsunade remembered the night Madara had visited her in her bedroom.

"No!" she said simply.

Lee kept his eyes fixed on her realizing the pain behind her bare answer.

Ten Ten nodded and bowed at the Hokage before sitting down.

Tsunade stepped back.

"The only logical way of fighting him is with coordinated attack. Teamwork and correct communication between you. He can read minds, but he can't watch over many attackers at the same time. This demands guts, I know. And I know how hard and difficult this all sounds. I feel nervous myself. But I cannot breathe easy when I know he is out there, killing and torturing and burning down cities and villages, while the people are still in their homes. I can't! And I won't!" she said loudly.

Tsunade noticed Turo, Tenzo and Gai sitting in the front nodding with proud smiles.

"Hokage-sama!" a girl's voice sounded from the far left of Tsunade.

She noticed Misaki stand up, a young chuunin with long red hair and her Konoha badge tied around her forehead.

"Since the Tailed Demons no longer exist, as far as I know, what is he after?" she asked, her voice trembling nervously.

Tsunade kept her eyes fixed on the girl.

"I do not know for certain. He's not after Uzumaki Naruto if this is what you mean." She told her harshly.

The girl bowed after a silent thoughtful moment and sat down.

"Madara Uchiha has infiltrated the military forces of the Land of Thunder and the Land of Snow, so I expect you to be careful and not trust anyone no more. Soon I'll call upon certain teams who will leave on different missions, concerning this matter." She paused and inhaled deeply. "Be careful and never let your guard down. This is when he attacks. He can be everywhere! But this won't stop you! I believe in you! I trust you… and I know that you love your home as much as I do, and this is why I know we can do it! We've been through much, we have lost many beloved ones. Let's fight for all of them!" she said passionately, feeling her own words filling her heart with burning hope.

Suddenly the sound of hundred pairs of feet was echoed as one after the other, the jonins and chuunins stood up and nodded in synchronization.

"AYE, HOKAGE-SAMA!" they shouted with the same passion as one.

Tsunade bowed slightly to all of them.

To all the people who had fought with her so many battles. To the younglings who would fight now with the same dedication and passion. To her friends and her comrades.

To Konoha…

_

**Thank you all for reading!**

**Please tell me if you'd like to meet more new characters in the story - characters that Sakura has met during the 3 years of her absence... or do you prefer Naruto's and Sakura's, friends, like Ino, Shikamaru, Lee, etc, to have a bigger part??? :)**


	27. Patients

**Dear readers,**

**yap, the main romantic part in this story is between Sakura and Kakashi-sensei...and after this chapter i guess it'll be clear.**

**Whatever your favourite pairings, i hope you enjoy it ...!**

Tsunade untied her hair and sighed closing her eyes.

She felt her hair fall on her naked shoulders and ran her fingers through her silky hair.

The sensation calmed her down, made her head feel less heavy, and let her fly through a daydream.

A dream of the ultimate peace, where she could be alone. Alone in the calm, summer night, laying under a tree and watching the stars. A hand caressing her neck. A warmth taking over her soul, making her heart beat faster.

Alone with him.

She really needed this now.

A moment alone with him. To remind her that she's not alone in this life.

Tsunade looked out the window, at the afternoon sky that was pale blue with small clouds scattered like seagulls.

She inhaled so deeply, she could feel her ribs about to rip her tight shirt off.

There was a knock on the door.

Tsunade tied her hair in two ponytails and turned around to face the double doors of her office.

"Enter!" she said, her voice sounding really tired.

The one leaf of the door opened and Turo appeared.

He shut it behind him and walked slowly towards her.

His face was tensed and worried.

"Hokage-sama! You asked for me." He announced.

Tsunade glanced at him and put on her green anorak.

She could feel Turo's stare and felt a slight excitement, which lasted for less than a second though. She had been used in men staring at her like this.

"I did! I decided to send you on a mission to hunt down some information that has been found." She said tidying the sleeves of her anorak, while looking down on her desk a small scroll opened with the horrible handwriting of Jiraya.

"About Madara?" Turo asked.

"Yes! Jiraya found an old man who knew Madara when he was a child. He said he went in an old Academy in the Land of Waves, in the Village of the Hanging Clouds. There he made many friends, in comparison to his life in the Land of Snow. I want you to go and find this academy, talk to people and learn as much as you can. Find out if he keeps in touch with anyone there. I'll have the best tracking team accompany you." She said hiding the scroll in a drawer.

"When shall we leave?" he asked, frowning.

"A ship sails at midnight from the Howling Village for the Land of Waves, which you'll reach in two days. So, you'll need to leave in a couple of hours."

"Understood." He said, sounding a little disappointed.

Tsunade looked up at him in wonder.

"I doubt it you'll have to face any grave danger." She began, but rethought it. "But I've been wrong before! Kurenai's team is one of the best. You can trust them." She said and looked back at him.

He nodded and smiled slightly.

"Your team will be waiting for you at the gates in two hours."

"Aye!"

"Be careful!"

"I will!" he said and bowed, leaving the office.

Tsunade stood motionless staring at the emptiness.

She sighed and quickly grabbed the scroll from Jiraya.

She fell on her chair and unrolled the scroll sinking in the words of his.

_My dearest Tsunade,_

_Last night I reached this village in the Land of Snow, of which the name I won't write, where I met this amazing fella. He kept offering me sake, yeah you'd definitely fall in love with him…_

Tsunade chuckled and rubbed her collarbone.

…_anyways, he seems to have known the monster as his parents were neighbours with him. He said that the monster visited this old academy in the Waves' Land, somewhere in the north of the Village of the Hanging Trees. We had been there, hadn't we? We super Sannins, on this ANBU mission… yeah, I remember it like it was yesterday. You had said these amazing words that haunted me ever since…it's just me against the world you had said. It was the first most personal thing I had heard you say…_

_Well, back to the monster, I'd hate it if you ripped the scroll to pieces because of my shit! He said the monster was rather quiet, had not many friends and was shy. But his parents would brag about his success as a fresh-made chuunin and the reputation he had built in the Waves' Land. His parents, he said, assumed this change was due to the change of weather and environment. According to the old man, the monster was too secretive for his age. He avoided other kids, he always worked on his own on missions. He had never seen him with friends, let alone girls. The last thing, among other crazy stuff, he said, is that the monster liked gathering flowers…_

_Make your assumptions. I'll continue here. The monster lived many years here, he must have had at least one friend._

_I'll communicate again in two days after you receive this message._

_I think of you and hope I'll return soon. Hate it leaving you alone with this damn bottle you're hiding…!_

_Your Jiraya_

Tsunade flinched when his signature smeared due to a teardrop.

She placed it on the desk and wiped away her wet face.

She sighed and leaned her elbows on her knees drowning her face in her palms.

_Jiraya… _

_I hope you'll return soon too…_

_______________

Shizune walked past the spacious foyer and greeted Kyoko, the secretary in the entrance of the Hokage tower.

"Good afternoon, Shizune-san!" she shouted over the buzzing of the people in the entrance of the building.

"Good afternoon, Kyoko-san!" Shizune responded back and waved at her.

Shizune climbed up the stairs, dragging her feet on every step. Her body felt so heavy and stiff she already felt her thighs burn when she climbed the first three steps.

Everything had gone so hectic in the last days, especially the last few hours, ever since she returned. The time they had arrived at Konoha, Tsunade and a group of jonins and medic nins awaited them, and then they all went to the hospital. Shizune had been examined rapidly by Tsunade herself, finding nothing serious, only pure exhaustion.

Shikamaru was in worse state than her, as he had to carry Temari-san all the way from the Land of Thunder back home. The other two sand shinobi were also exhausted, still lying in the hospital, while Naruto and Temari were still unconscious, under the influence of Madara's genjutsu, under special watch.

On top of that, Shizune had found by luck Sakura lying unconscious in a hospital room, with Kakashi by her side and an ANBU team patrolling her room.

Shizune pressed her lips together rushing through the corridor and, when she reached the double doors of the Hokage's office she knocked twice.

"It's Shizune!" she said.

"Come in!"

Shizune opened the door and quickly walked up to Tsunade.

She looked even more exhausted than her, sank in her chair and staring at the nothingness in front of her.

Shizune approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Tsunade-sama! How are you?" she asked worried.

"Horrible." Tsunade mumbled, barely opening her lips to speak.

"Tsunade-sama, what happened to Sakura? Why is she in the hospital? I saw Kakashi-san with her." She said kneeling to look into her eyes.

She noticed her wet eyelashes glued on her skin.

Tsunade slowly lifted her eyes to look at her friend.

"She's under some strange genjutsu. It's a different technique than the one _he_ used on Naruto and Temari. It even poisoned her system somehow. I have to look into it." Tsunade muttered silently.

"He was _here_?" Shizune wondered, gapping.

"I guess so. Nobody sensed him though. I don't know. I don't know!" Tsunade sighed forcefully and brushed her palms over her face.

"But why her?" Shizune asked looking at the wooden floor beneath her.

"I'll explain to you later, Shizune. I have an issue to clear first and then we'll go to the hospital together. I need your help! We need to wake Temari at least. According to Shikamaru she's the only one who saw Madara and probably saw what happened to Hyuga. We must find out what she knows."

"Alright!" Shizune agreed, though she was completely exhausted.

Shizune stood up and glanced at Tsunade.

She stood up as well and looked out of the window, wiping her face with her anorak's sleeve.

Suddenly, there were three clouds of smoke and Shizune turned quickly around to face three ANBU shinobi standing straight with their animal masks hiding their faces.

"Hokage-sama! You requested for us!" the one in the middle announced.

"Yes! I send you to complete the mission in which Kakashi's team failed. Go to the Village of the Blue Tree. To the east of it were found trails of Kuroi, Madara's accomplice. A genin was found dead hanging from a waterfall. Investigate the matter and remember at what I said during the meeting." Tsunade said harshly looking at each one of the ANBU shinobi.

"Aye, Hokage-sama!" they said and vanished into thin air after signaling with their hands.

The cloud of smoke reached Shizune's nostrils, making her cough.

"I thought you would avoid sending ANBU teams." Shizune commented.

Tsunade didn't look at her as they walked together to the door.

"Sai is one of the best, he can make it! It doesn't matter if he wears the jonin or the ANBU uniform!" she grunted and they made their way to the hospital of Konoha.

______________

Her expression made Tsunade drown in deep syllogism.

Her eyeballs were flickering under her shut eyelids and her face was tensed, like she was in silent pain. Every now and then her limbs would shake, and then she'd lie still on the bed. And then it would all start from the beginning.

Tsunade heard the door behind her open and close and noticed Shizune's black-dressed figure stand next to her.

"Did he leave?" Tsunade asked silently, still observing Temari.

"He said he'd be waiting outside, but once we're done, he'll come back." Shizune said in an undertone.

"I thought he was clever enough to take this opportunity to rest. Anyway, I want you to bring me these things. Let's try and bring Temari back, or else we'll have to deal with the Kazekage as well!" Tsunade said and placed a piece of parchment in Shizune's hands.

Shizune nodded and left the room.

Tsunade lifted Temari's left eyelid and noticed only the white of her eye. She let it shut on its own and began to massage her sides of her head. She did it all over her face and then followed her neck, down to her collarbone. The nurses had changed Temari in a simple, cotton dress, which made things easier, as Tsunade tried to feel the tension of Temari's muscles all over her body. From her torso, to her stomach, to her legs.

It was as she awaited it. Her muscles were all active, stiff, like they would be if she trained or… fought.

Probably this genjutsu was an illusion of a battle, tiring her and leading her to total exhaustion until her body would calm down for a few seconds. And then she'd fall back into the same battle illusion.

Tsunade signaled and placed her palms over Temari's chest trying to feel her heartbeat. Her chakra reached her heart and surrounded Temari's heart's cells, reading and sensing their activity. It was beating fast, pumping blood through her system with an incredible might.

Tsunade stopped the flow and looked at Temari's face. She had made a face of pain, her jaws opened quickly and then shut again, making a creepy sound as her teeth crushed.

Tsunade stroked Temari's face and leaned close to her ear.

"Temari-san! Can you hear me?" she whispered softly.

Temari's face was unaltered, deep in a silent painful state.

"Temari-san!"

No response.

Tsunade stood up straight and sighed silently.

There was always a way out of a genjutsu, but not every genjutsu was dealt in the same way. The danger was how to free someone from a genjutsu without hurting the one influenced.

One successful technique was to let yourself drown in its magic and accept it, after you've calmed down and emptied your mind from every single thought. As a result your chakra flow would almost stop, not letting your brain accept the influence of the technique no more. That worked for the one who was stuck under a genjutsu.

Surely Madara would have developed a way of outrunning this flaw, or else Temari would definitely have released herself by now from it.

Another way was to force yourself out of it, either with the help of someone outside the influence, or by yourself by waking your mind up. This could be managed with injuring yourself. But this was a way too dangerous, as many genjutsu affected your senses, resulting to your uncertainty if you injured a part of your body easily healed or killed yourself. Still this option was the most popular in countering a genjutsu, as it needed less chakra control, focus and meditation.

None of it successful now though.

Tsunade rubbed her chin, feeling the defeat taking over her.

But she couldn't.

Temari had seen Madara, maybe she had fought with him, maybe she knew where Neji was taken, maybe she had witnessed something about Madara that could prove useful to them.

In addition, Naruto was under the same illusionary technique, which meant he had seen Madara as well.

She had to bring them back.

She had to find a way of bringing their brains back to normal. Come back to reality and depend on the person's senses, not on the caster's chakra.

But how could Madara still influence them. He wasn't here. He had no eye-contact with Temari or Naruto…, or Sakura.

How could he still cast his chakra flow through their brains, she wondered intensively.

How could he still control their senses.

He had to be here. A normal person would have died after extending his chakra towards _three _persons for so many days.

Was he…

Was he here…

Tsunade caught herself searching around the room with her eyes. She leaned on the side of the bed, staring at the window in front of her. The white curtains barely letting the dim afternoon light enter.

She tightened her grip around the metal of the bed and looked back at Temari, whose face was now through the calm two seconds.

"Temari-san?" Tsunade whispered.

The two seconds became three… four…

"Temari-san! Can you hear me?"

Five seconds…

"Hey, Temari-san! Wake up!"

Six seconds…

Tsunade quickly placed her palms on Temari's cheeks and felt some warmth radiating from the sand kunoichi.

But then, her eyes flickered again and she shook all over. Her skin was wrinkled and she clenched her jaws once more.

Tsunade quickly walked outside and looked around the corridor. When she spotted him she approached him with a quick pace.

Shikamaru was lying on a chair, his head hanging in an uncomfortable posture on his shoulder.

Tsunade gently placed a hand on his other shoulder.

"Shikamaru! Hey!" she whispered.

"Huh?"

His eyelids barely opened and he almost jumped up, when he noticed who was standing in front of him.

"I need your help. Sorry to wake you up!"

"Anytime, what happened?" he yawned frowning.

"Let's say it's an experiment." She said and walked back into Temari's room.

Shikamaru followed, shutting the door behind him.

"What kind of experiment?"

"I want you to talk to her!"

Shikamaru looked at her with a questioning look.

"I _have_ been talking to her, but you kicked me out of here! It does nothing at all, though." He said looking disappointed down at Temari.

"Let's hope it'll be different this time." Tsunade said and smiled at Shikamaru.

He frowned and pressed his lips together.

He was about to speak at Temari's ear, but he hesitated.

He glanced up at Tsunade.

"Will you?" Tsunade shot harshly, and she signaled placing her palms above Temari's head.

She let her chakra reach Temari's skull and then her brain.

"Ehm, Temari, it's me…Shikamaru! Tsunade-sama will try to bring you back. I-I'm here!" he whispered and cupped her shaking hand in his.

"Continue!" Tsunade said, feeling Temari's brain respond to Shikamaru's voice.

It felt like her brain cells and her entire nervous network were returning to normal activity.

"Temari, please respond. Show me that you hear me!" Shikamaru went on.

Tsunade glanced at Shikamaru, noticing his eyes shine.

She smiled slightly and focused at Temari's chakra flow.

It was still weak, barely responding to Tsunade's chakra flow. It was like her system was trying to distinguish which of the three chakra flows was its own.

"Once you wake up again I promise you I'll have this Shogi tournament with you, and I'm going to win! I-I must admit I feared to compete with you, but… I'll take the risk. I think I'll win!" Shikamaru chuckled.

Tsunade felt Temari's system return to normal activity and she also noticed her face and limbs calm down.

Tsunade counted down the seconds, as Shikamaru kept whispering more cheerfully to her about Shogi.

This time it was nine seconds.

Tsunade smiled and looked at Shikamaru, as she stopped her chakra flow through Temari.

"It's working, though I'm not sure how long it will need." She said.

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru wondered.

"If you've noticed, Temari would be shaking and being in pain, until she'd calm down for two seconds. When I examined her at the gates it was two seconds. Now it grew up to nine seconds. For nine seconds she manages to release herself from this illusionary technique." Tsunade told him in a serious tone.

Shikamaru looked down at Temari worried.

"That's good you say?" he asked silently.

"I know it's little time, but it gives me hope to find out the treatment, the counter spell let's say." Tsunade said and went towards the door.

"And the words _do_ help!" she said to him before leaving the room.

Tsunade walked through the corridor and reached the far end, where Sakura was.

She looked through the small window of the door and noticed Kakashi standing by the window.

She entered and he stood motionless, his back towards her.

Tsunade shut the door and approached Sakura, covered with a red blanket and her face in sweat and stiff. Her eyes were flickering as well, more violently than Temari's. But she wasn't shaking. She was still, too still.

A glass with indigo orchids and ferns stood by the bedside table.

Tsunade could feel the fragrance reaching her nostrils.

"Any change?" she asked Kakashi.

He turned slowly around to face her. His face dark and tired.

"No." he said in a pessimistic tone.

Tsunade stroked her student's cheek. It was too warm.

"When did the fever begin?" she wondered and searched for a cloth.

Kakashi approached her and handed her a wet cloth.

Tsunade took it and placed it on Sakura's hot forehead.

"An hour ago."

Tsunade stared at Sakura.

What terrible curse has fallen on them…

Nothing good seemed to happen anymore…

Everybody only got hurt around her.

She wished she could call back every team she had sent on new missions, but… it had to be done. The evil would come to them eventually.

It was better if they hunted the evil, keeping it away from their home.

Buy time for safety here, in Konoha.

Tsunade looked up at the small orchids and observed the details on their velvet petals, the tiny freckles of dark purple and the bright yellow stamens. She exhaled and noticed the petals dance slightly.

"Beautiful orchids!" she commented.

"Hmm! Tenzo brought them." Kakashi said after a silent moment.

Tsunade smiled slightly and looked at Kakashi.

"Thank you for watching over her. I promise you some night's sleep, I'll watch over her then. I need to find a way of healing Temari and Naruto now." She said.

"Do not worry, Hokage-sama. I'm not tired at all, it's depression that you see on my face." He muttered, his hands in his pockets.

"Still, you need to clear your mind. Sleep is the best treatment!"

Kakashi shook his head.

"There's no way I'll be able to sleep."

Tsunade frowned.

"I want you to be alert, Kakashi. Extra alert! If you are depressed or tired or whatever, I can't believe you'll be effective." she said a little annoyed with his attitude.

"Hokage-sama, this gives me the strength to be even extra alert, I promise you that. I wouldn't risk her life like this. I know my limits, and I know I'll give my best to not let anyone come close to her. The time I feel the exhaustion start taking over me, I'll have someone replace me immediately." He said in his most serious tone.

Tsunade stared into his one eye, which was fixed on her steadily. Not blinking, not flickering.

He looked determined.

"Alright! Until tomorrow morning. I'll have someone take your place, but until then…!"

"Aye, Hokage-sama! I'll protect her!" he announced.

Tsunade nodded and walked to the door.

"You better!" she said harshly and left Sakura's room.

Strange, she thought.

But she couldn't start worrying about Kakashi's strange behavior. She decided to base it on the fact that his two students left, were in a state of coma. She walked past the room in which Naruto was and she missed a heartbeat noticing a figure in the room.

She hurried back and burst through the door, seeing a woman with long dark brown hair tied in a bun and wearing a black blouse over tight brown trousers. A red belt was hanging around her torso, with a katana on her back.

The woman glanced at Tsunade annoyed and placed her palms over Naruto's body again, a dim green light covering him.

"Who the hell are you?" Tsunade growled, feeling her head burn.

The woman didn't look at her and focused on Naruto.

"Stop whatever you're doing! I asked you a question; who the hell ar-!"

"I heard you in the first place, Lady Hokage!" the woman cut her off and stopped her chakra flow, turning to look into Tsunade's angry eyes.

Tsunade approached her until her face was inches from hers.

"Then answer me!" she growled at the stranger. She had seen her before.

"My name is Rin. I used to be Kakashi's teammate when we were genins. I'm here to help you." She said calmly staring back at Tsunade, not flinching being so close to her.

Tsunade examined her chocolate brown eyes and the calm that lingered in them.

So this was the woman Kakashi had brought with him from the Village of the Golden Path. The medic-nin who had discovered his disease. The one she wanted to see previously that day, but everything that had happened had erased her existence from her brain.

Tsunade felt her anger calm down and tried to find herself again.

She sighed forcefully, not minding showing her irritation.

"What were you doing to Naruto?" Tsunade asked harshly.

Rin kept her eyes fixed on hers for another moment, before looking back at Naruto.

"I try to force my chakra into shoving off the caster's chakra, but I still didn't have the appropriate quietness to concentrate." She said, her voice deeper than hers and steady.

"The medic-nins tried that, you know. And it was unsuccessful!" Tsunade shot at her.

"I want to try it myself. Feel the reaction of his own chakra."

"He's no guinea pig for you to _try it yourself_!" Tsunade growled.

Rin quickly looked at her, angry.

"I know that and I know who he is! I wouldn't hurt my sensei's son!"

Tsunade shut her mouth and felt her hands tremble.

She loathed it having strangers messing with her job. But there was this part of herself that wanted to be logical. Yes, she couldn't possibly trust this Rin, but they needed all the help there was. She had three of the best shinobi down, and they had to wake them up, bring them back. Maybe this Rin _could _help.

But still she couldn't defy her other self, the one that liked violence and was so short-tempered.

"Alright! Do what you have to do, but I'll stay here and watch you!" she said and folded her arms on her chest.

Rin nodded and focused again on Naruto.

He was in the same state as Temari, the only difference was that he never had calm seconds. He would shake and move in pain the entire time.

Rin let her chakra light her palms and flow through Naruto's naked chest.

Rin shut her eyes and concentrated on her work.

Tsunade looked at Rin's face and then at Naruto's painful expression.

Naruto gritted his teeth so forcefully Tsunade shivered listening to the sound of it.

His hands jumped and landed on the side of his bed, and then his head turned quickly towards each direction.

Rin looked really tensed now. Her lips pressed together.

Tsunade felt really nervous wondering what Rin felt happening inside Naruto.

How she wished all this could end.

Feel peace again…

After all this would end, she would resign.

It was too much to bear. Besides she had become rather old by now, although no one ever noticed. She knew. And she could feel it.

Lately the exhaustion was intenser, the sensation of heaviness began to stay permanently in her chest. Like time had finally caught up with her.

Time…

What an awful thing, she thought and traveled backwards when she was nothing more than a young jonin, standing on the mountain with the Hokages' faces together with her little brother, Nawaki. They would talk about the future, about dreams, about life.

Nawaki… how much she missed him. Would he have become like Naruto. They were very much alike.

Naruto always reminded her of him…

He wanted to become a Hokage as well. If only they knew what a drag it was, she thought to herself smiling slightly.

I want peace and no more paperwork, she thought and looked down at Naruto.

She gasped with the sudden sight.

Naruto was lying calm on the bed. His limbs not shaking anymore and his face peaceful, like he was sleeping.

Suddenly all of her senses returned from her thoughts and she heard Rin panting and leaning on the side of the bed.

She looked like she had been running up and down a mountain.

"What did you do?" Tsunade wondered frowning.

Rin took two deep breaths, her face pale and looked up at Tsunade. Her eyes were wet.

"He's fine!" she said and fell on the chair rubbing her hands together.

"Explain to me!" Tsunade said impatiently.

Rin tried to catch her breath.

"I…" she breathed heavily and looked back at Tsunade, after wiping away the sweat from her face. "I focused on the caster's chakra and not on the boy's. I tried to do the job his brain-" Rin pointed at Naruto "-could not do. But this chakra was tremendously powerful. Like ten times a normal person's chakra. Even more! I've never felt so much energy before. No wonder your shinobi could not free themselves on their own. Some-somehow the caster had all their senses under control and tied them into a battle illusion. I could feel the intensity of their brain's activity. Like it functions during a battle."

"Exactly! Their entire body was under the same intensity. Their muscles, their hearts, their nervous system."

Rin nodded in agreement.

Tsunade felt the usual excitement medical ninjutsu always brought her.

"So he uses their chakra to make his genjutsu stronger and more efficient." Tsunade muttered to herself thinking of the Tailed Demons.

Rin frowned, not following Tsunade's words.

"Never mind! Explain to me what exactly you did. There are two more patients under the same caster's genjutsu."

Rin stood up hardly and flinched suddenly.

"I thought it was another lady only." Rin said.

"My student is under an illusion as well."

"You mean Sakura?" Rin gasped.

Tsunade was the one to look with a questioning look now, feeling cautious.

"You know Sakura?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Rin rubbed her muscles of her forearms.

"Yes! I met her some years ago. She's acquainted with my daughter. Thanks to her I met with Kakashi again!" she said with a smile.

Tsunade shook her head, remembering that Sakura could not possibly have been alone all those three years she had been away. She wondered how coincidental it was that Sakura met this woman, Kakashi's former teammate, who everyone thought was dead.

"Anyway, these things will clear up when time is right. Now tell me!" Tsunade shot harshly, trying to shove off those thoughts from her mind.

Rin nodded.

"Yes! Well, focus, as I said, on the caster's chakra. It's difficult. It's like forcing your hands over the fire. Drive the foreign chakra away. Make it leave the person's brain and then, at the same time you have to make sure the person's brain functions normally again. I heard these kids were under this genjutsu for days, which means their brains will have great difficulty working on their own again. If you don't watch this, their brains might not work properly again."

"So I send the caster's chakra away and at the same time help the patient's chakra work properly again. Oh!"

Tsunade sighed realizing the difficulty of this technique.

She looked up at Rin.

"How did you manage it in so little time?" Tsunade wondered, ashamed with herself for feeling amazed with this woman's ability.

Rin smiled, like she had read Tsunade's mind.

"I had some of these!" she said proudly and took out of her trousers' pocket a small plastic box. She opened it and Tsunade immediately recognized some pills, round with a dark green color. She felt their disgusting, bitter scent reach her nostrils.

The scent reached her tongue and could almost feel their taste in her mouth. She swallowed in disgust.

These were energy pills that could help the one taking them to open some of the Eight Gates. As a result, the person's chakra flow would increase tremendously offering him, or her, the chance to create techniques which demanded a great amount of chakra in a short time. Of course the consequence was immediate and complete exhaustion.

Rin hold up to it rather good. She had to be a strong kunoichi, Tsunade thought and felt the amazement for this woman increase.

She had to admit it. She _was _good.

"How many did you take?" Tsunade couldn't help but ask. As far as she knew, one pill opened one Gate.

"Two!" Rin sighed and fell back on the chair. Tsunade noticed her hands shaking. Her body shivered as well, but she had wrapped her arms around her hiding it.

Tsunade looked back at the blonde jonin who was sleeping peacefully.

She placed her palms over Naruto's torso and felt nothing but exhaustion in his system. His body was finally calming down.

Suddenly he let a loud snore, making the two women laugh.

"Oh, yes! He's fine!" Tsunade commented and turned at Rin.

She was standing again, face to face with her.

"Thank you, Rin-san!" Tsunade said and offered her hand to her.

Rin glanced at it and then smiled shaking hands with the Hokage.

"Now, please guide me with Temari. We must heal her as well." Tsunade said, feeling so good with this sudden rise of hope.

If they had found a way of countering Madara's genjutsu, his specialty, the victory was theirs…

_____________

In the meantime, in the next room, everything was silent, and the hope that had risen in the next room, could not reach this one.

In this room, the one sane person was too deep in thoughts to sense the happiness radiating from Naruto's room.

No wonder this happened, as the one person he had dedicated his entire existence to, was lost in another world. In an illusionary world, under pain, being tortured.

A world out of his reach, were he could not follow, where he could not protect her, where he could not give his life for her.

He'd do it… if it meant she'd live, he'd do it gladly.

Kakashi sighed for a millionth time today, during these endless hours he had been in this room. It felt like he was stuck in here, watching her ache, for a week, a month. But there was still daylight outside. He had been only some hours here.

Such long hours…

And she wouldn't calm down.

Her face would be in pain, tensed, hot, burning under the wet cloth Kakashi kept moistening every minute. Her eyes flickering, her mouth half open as she breathed heavily. The arteries on her neck ready to explode.

It was the second time…

The second time in some days that he was the useless one and she was the hurt one.

He'd give anything to be the one in her position. Be the one hurt, the one in pain.

He caught himself wishing he had this stupid surgery about his Sharingan right now, and that it would fail, killing him. Maybe then this tormenting stab that pierced his heart would stop. Maybe then he'd be under greater pain than she was.

Whatever evil karma had cursed them would be erased if he sacrificed himself.

I can't really believe such things, he thought frowning.

He rubbed his normal eye with his palm and sat on the chair beside Sakura.

Her breathing was the only sound. So heavy, so painful.

Kakashi looked at her, opening his mouth to speak, but finding no words to say.

Her lips were dry.

Kakashi stood up and filled a plastic cup with fresh water.

He lifted Sakura's head a little and helped her drink the liquid.

Most of it followed her cheeks and down on her cotton dress.

Kakashi placed the cup on the bedside table, where the latest _Icha Icha_ novel lay, untouched.

He cupped Sakura's head with his one hand and laid her down on the pillow gently.

Her soft hair between his fingers, her hot head in his palm.

Kakashi felt his heart so heavy like it would slip down on his stomach.

He sat down again, not letting her out of his sight. Hoping her eyes would suddenly open again and look at him.

She would definitely smile, seeing that he was the only one next to her… and he would hug her, feeling no power to keep him restrained, keep him under control.

And he wouldn't mind.

Once she was fine again, he _would _hug her, even if the entire shinobi community of Konoha was in this room.

Everything that had happened in the last days had made him realize how important it was to enjoy every single moment you had with someone. How precious these moments were.

After he had found out that Rin was alive, he had avoided her. He had tried to postpone the moment they had to, eventually, talk and face each other.

He lived for many years knowing she was dead, spending long hours on their graves, Obito's and her non existing one, remembering all their moments together. These moments were so few. And back then he was so different. He would never make this mistake again…

Never…

The ones he loved and cared about were what he held most precious… Sakura, Naruto, Tenzo, his ninja hounds, Iruka, Rin…

All those people who were there for him, cared about him.

From now on he wouldn't leave a moment unnoticed. All nature gave them was one lifetime… why waste it on unimportant things. Why not try to be happy. Why not fight for the ones you care about, make sure they'll be happy, and as a result you will be the luckiest person.

If everyone you care about around you is happy, then you'll be happy as well…

Kakashi smiled with this thought.

He rubbed his chin, imagining already the anxiety taking over him when he'd try telling Sakura what he really felt about her.

He chuckled and stood up approaching her bed.

He held her warm hand and leaned over her.

He hesitated for what he was about to do, but… how much he wanted to.

He took off the wet cloth from her forehead.

When someone was under an illusion, only something surprising could wake them up. Something that would bring their brain back to normal. Something that would shock the influenced person's senses.

Kakashi closed his eye and kissed her forehead.

He felt the heat reaching his lips through the cloth and he stayed there.

Focusing with all his might on sucking her fever away, on taking her away from this horrible genjutsu.

He pressed his lips a little more on her skin and noticed her eyes flicker with more intensity.

His heart beat so fast it felt ready to burst out of his chest. His breathing got unsteady and he broke the kiss stroking Sakura's cheek.

Many emotions drowned his heart, excitement, shame, fear, hope, all confusingly swirling in his head, in her chest, in his stomach, in his entire body.

No wonder he hadn't sensed the existence of two curious eyes staring in a gasp from the small window of the door…

_

**Have a nice evening/day!**

**Until next time... :)**


	28. Missing

**Hey hey :)**

**thank u so much for keeping up with the story and telling me your thoughts! It's always great reading them!**

**so, about this chapter: i have to warn you that the first part of this story contains some violent scenes-maybe for some shocking...**

**_**

Warmth…

That was something different…

So beautiful it felt, like the sensation of the sunlight warming your skin after a cold breeze.

Her hands instinctively hugged her body, the fingers almost reaching each other on her back.

Sakura sighed and smiled.

She feared to open her eyes.

Maybe she would see those eyes again…

_I don't want to_…

She shut them, but an invisible force moved her eyelids.

_No… not more, not more!_

She wanted to scream, but couldn't.

Her grip pierced through her ribs, through her skin.

But she so much preferred feeling the pain she caused to herself than see him and drown in this tormenting silence again. In this black nothingness were her insides burnt and every little piece of happiness vanished into thin air, like it could not exist in this place.

She grunted, trying to focus on the pain she caused to herself.

Her fingernails reached deeper into her flesh, sinking between her ribs.

Sakura let a cry of pain.

_That's good… I _must_ wake up…_

She continued, pressing her fingernails deeper and deeper.

He was there.

She could hear his silent laughter, like the growl of a beast.

_My pain… my own pain!_

She concentrated on her hands, on her fingers.

She opened her mouth and a deaf scream left her lungs as her fingernails finally managed to sink through her flesh.

The hot blood covered her hands and the piercing feeling reached her soul.

Everything around her disappeared.

The pain was so torturing she was panting and her brain was no longer sensing anything else than her self-made injuries.

_My pain!_

Her eyes were watering.

Her cheeks were on fire.

Her body started shaking as her sides bled.

_My pain… my pain…_ she kept telling herself.

The warmth filled her entire body, but at the same time a chilly sensation started taking over her.

The sensation of faint. It was reaching her.

_No…_ she grunted.

She concentrated, she meditated, she breathed deeply.

It ached to inhale, but she had to.

She was a master in chakra control, she could do it.

_I can do it! Nobody has the right to make me hurt… only me!_

This time she pressed her fingernails against her waist and sank them through her skin.

She panted, focusing on injuring herself.

_Come on…!_

She could stand pain. She was no weakling. She had been through the worst pain, this was nothing compared to it.

Compared to him gone…

Nothing could be worse.

This was only a game…

_My game, my pain!_

She chuckled and grunted at the same time, not really knowing what it really was.

She could feel her brain reacting to her mad actions of killing herself slowly, but only like this could she not fall into his trap again.

This time he would not win.

No, this is _my_ victory, she thought and, suddenly, her lower stomach bled as well. The crimson pool started rushing down her thighs.

She could hear drums in her head, her inhaling burning like there were a thousand pins pierced in her lungs.

It ached so much, she wondered how she could still stand up.

Her knees were shaking madly.

She inhaled so deeply, her mind seemed to fall in a crazy ease for a moment that felt like eternity.

The relief vanished everything around her.

_Yes!_

The moment she was waiting for…

Grabbing this opportunity, Sakura focused on her chakra flow, which circulation she had managed to influence by causing pain around the most vital points of the chakra network. All around her body she was bleeding, on her sides, on her stomach, on her forearms, on her cheeks, on her thighs, on her collarbone.

She screamed so loud, her ears felt ready to bleed as well.

Her chakra flow stopped…

And everything drowned into the pitch black abyss…

_______________

"She shall not move for at least a week. Her right lung is too weak and could open up again with any move she could make. She should stay still!" a girly voice said in a serious tone.

"Alright, thank you, nurse!" a familiar woman's voice replied.

She grunted, and something on her side did indeed ache too much. But she couldn't tell if it was right or left.

Was it her lung, she wondered. That would be serious, the lungs are vital organs. What did she do this time…

"I still wonder how she managed to survive!" another familiar voice said, with a tone of shock.

Sakura tried to move her hands.

"Hey, she moved! Did you see that? Did you see that?" the most loud voice announced, making Sakura grunt again in annoyance.

Was it… was it Naruto, she wondered so intensively her eyes opened up on their own.

The sudden light made her flinch and shut them back again.

"SHE'S AWAKE! SAKURA-CHAN!"

Sakura gasped when two warm arms wrapped around her head and she was filled with a scent of lavender shampoo.

This voice… it was definitely him.

"N-Naruto!" she tried to say, but wondered if anyone managed to hear her.

"Sakura-chan! I'm here! How are you feeling, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, his face so close to hers.

Sakura smiled, but her cheeks felt so stiff.

"I-I d-don't know!" she grunted as her side pierced again.

"Naruto! Don't strain her like this!" Tsunade's voice ordered aggressively.

"Aye!" Naruto said cheerfully and helped Sakura fall down on her pillow gently.

"Sakura, how are you feeling?" Tsunade asked softly.

Sakura followed her voice and found her standing on the other side of the bed.

Her neck was so numb it was hard to turn.

"Ts-Tsunade-sama!" Sakura sighed.

Sakura blinked a hundred times to see clearly.

Tsunade was accompanied by Shizune, and Tonton in her lap.

The little pig squeaked.

Sakura chuckled, but this hurt also.

She grunted.

"What happened?" Sakura wondered, her voice sounding so weak.

Naruto sat beside her on the bed.

He was wearing an orange t-shirt and his jonin trousers. His Konoha badge was not on his forehead.

"Don't you remember anything?" Tsunade wondered frowning.

Sakura fell silent.

It even hurt to think.

She remembered pain. Only pain.

"Not much!" she sighed.

"Well," Tsunade began and sat on the chair by Sakura's bed " you were casted under one of Madara's genjutsu. You were under his influence for less than a day. During the night Kakashi called us, as he saw you starting to bleed all over. We came and the next thing we saw was that you managed to free yourself. You send him away." She said in short.

Sakura frowned.

She released herself from some genjutsu.

From Madara's genjutsu?

Sakura looked on the wall in front of her.

She bled. She remembered that. She remembered the blood pouring out of her limbs, her entire body. She remembered its strange, calming warmth.

She turned her gaze towards Naruto.

"And you? You were under a genjutsu as well as… I remember." Sakura whispered, not sure if anything she remembered was a dream or reality.

Everything was so blurry in her mind.

"I was. Rin-san released me! She's great, she's a medic-nin as you and Granny-Tsunade!" Naruto said cheerfully, beaming at her.

"Rin-san!" Sakura repeated and remembered Kakashi-sensei's former teammate.

"Temari is fine also. Her brother came and watches over her at their place here." Naruto continued stroking Sakura's hand.

"Gaara?" Sakura wondered. Slowly and steadily everything seemed to line up in her messed up brain.

"Oh, no! Kankuro! They'll leave once Temari is done here." He told her.

Sakura looked into his bright, blue eyes and felt a wonderful relief reach her soul.

She smiled watching him sitting there, holding her hand. Smiling at her. Appreciating the moment they were together. The moments they had each other.

Sakura lifted herself and grunted as her lung pierced so much making her lose her breathing pace.

"Don't move, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said worried.

But she didn't care.

Sakura threw herself on him and tied her arms around her best friend.

She let her tears leave her warm eyes and reach whatever cloth they reached. She couldn't distinguish if it was his shirt or hers, as something wet was on her shoulder as well.

She drowned her face in the corner of his neck, where she could feel the slight beat of his heart.

He was alive. He was here.

Whatever the pain she felt, she wanted to show him how glad she was for him being well. Being here with her.

She loved him and, once, she had made this promise to the person she thought she loved most.

To watch over him. To protect him.

_And I will, Sasuke! I will watch over him, for you… and because I love him!_

Sakura tightened her arms around him more. He responded in the same gesture.

Sakura heard footsteps, but didn't pay attention, as Tsunade and Shizune abandoned the room.

"I'm so happy you're fine, Sakura-chan!" Naruto mumbled.

Sakura broke the hug and kissed him for a long moment on his cheek. She tasted his tears.

"I'm so glad you're fine too, Naruto-kun!" she whispered and looked deeply into his eyes.

He smiled and she cupped his face in her palms.

He could really act like a ten-year-old sometimes, but this made him so precious. He was the colors in her life. What could she do without him… he was all left to her from her once cheerful past.

Her best friend, her comrade.

_Naruto…_

"Sakura-chan! Why… are you crying?" Naruto asked, his eyes flickering from her eyes to her lips.

Sakura let her hands fall and chuckled.

"For the same reason _you_ are crying!" she said smiling.

Naruto chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess!" and they hugged again.

Sakura felt the world falling together in a logical line. Finally she was back together with him, and she wouldn't trade this with anything… anything at all…

Soon, many visitors came by, informing her of what had happened during the one and a half day she was unconscious after releasing herself from Madara's genjutsu.

Sakura noticed that it was Yamato who kept refreshing the flowers in one glass that lay on her bedside table, next to her Konoha badge. She had flinched when she noticed an _Icha Icha_ novel beside it as well, with the orange cover she would distinguish from miles away. She had asked where Kakashi-sensei was, as he hadn't given any sign all afternoon.

She wondered if he just wanted to keep away from the buzzing inside her room, or if he was just tired. She concluded in the last one, as she learnt that he had been watching over her ever since they had found out that Madara was after her.

He needed some rest. He deserved it.

But still… somewhere inside of her she hoped he was here. He didn't need to speak, to do anything. If only he was sitting by a chair in the corner reading his favorite novel, so that she could look at him and smile with his cool attitude.

It was almost sunset, when Yamato had come, with Iruka walking behind him. This time he had brought yellow daisies.

Naruto, of course, hadn't let her side.

He was always there, holding her hand, beaming at her, joking with everyone's flowers.

"Ino will think you try to compete with her with all those flowers!" he had said walking between the massive jungle of flowers from everyone from the village.

Ino, eventually, did come and was shocked with the amount of flowers and argued with Naruto that all of them _did _come from her family's shop.

Choji was the first one to bring her for a present something beside flowers, specifically he brought a box with freshly cooked, homemade stakes with chili sauce from his mother's hands.

Sakura was not allowed to eat proper food, so she had to witness Naruto eat the delicious meat in front of her, making her throat ache imagining how it would feel to eat this wonderful, crunchy meat and the yummy, red sauce on top of it.

The moment Yamato was about to leave, as Tsunade had another mission for him, Rin-san and Chie entered the room.

"Oh, Rin-san, Chie-chan!" she smiled at them.

Iruka was standing next to Naruto between two huge bushes of colorful roses.

Chie ran like a cannonball towards Sakura and Rin managed to hold her the last minute, before the excited girl crushed on Sakura.

"Chie, be careful! She's a patient, and you ought to treat her as one!" she told her harshly.

Chie made a disappointed face.

"Sorry, mama!" she said, but smiled quickly making herself comfortable next to Sakura.

Sakura smiled at her.

"Why are you becoming a patient so often lately, Sakura-san? Do you really like being attended so much?" she giggled.

Sakura frowned and laughed.

"Yeah, how did you know?" she joked.

"Oh, let's say I've got eyes!" the girl said looking somewhere far away.

Sakura made a questioning look.

"You've got eyes? Really?" Sakura wondered with this sentence, which made no sense.

"Are you Rin-san's daughter?" Naruto suddenly broke Sakura's thoughts.

Chie looked up at the blonde young man.

She beamed immediately.

"Yes, my name is Chie!" she said and bowed slightly to Naruto.

"Ah, I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Call me Naruto!" he said loudly and gave her one of his proud smiles.

Sakura chuckled.

Rin looked at her.

"How are you feeling, Sakura?" she asked her in a silent, sincere tone.

"I'm fine! And thank you, for everything!" Sakura told her.

Rin shook her head.

"You woke up on your own, Sakura!"

"You helped Naruto! It means a lot to me!"

Rin smiled and hugged Sakura. Sakura hugged her back.

There was still one thing she wanted to know and no one had answered it yet.

"How is Kakashi-sensei? I haven't seen him all day." She wondered.

Rin smiled.

"He's at his apartment. When I left he said he'd go to the groceries."

Sakura lifted her eyebrows.

Kakashi went to the groceries, that was… a strange thought.

He was fine, but why wouldn't he come. She'd really like to see him, and most importantly thank him. Thank him for watching over her. If he hadn't been here, she would probably have bled to death. She owed him so much. He had helped her twice. He had watched over her twice, after she had messed herself up like this.

Rin seemed to have noticed her worry drawn on her face and leaned towards her.

"He said he would come later! He said it was very rude of himself to have two females living in his empty and untidy house, so he had to fix the matter!" she said smiling.

Sakura chuckled.

"Yes. It sounds like him!" she said silently staring at her feet that emerged from her blanket.

The hope rose suddenly inside of her, making her smile all the time, always glancing at the door when she saw shadows passing by the door. And every time, she would hold her breath thinking it would be him.

She smiled with her behavior and tried to focus on Naruto and Chie who were talking too excitedly about wind-element techniques, which both of them mastered.

Iruka approached Sakura and bowed slightly.

"I shall leave you rest and I'll come by tomorrow again!" he said with his calm and friendly voice.

"Thank you very much for coming, Iruka-sensei!" Sakura said happily.

Iruka was the kind of person you could not hate. He would always know how to make you smile and feel the glimpse of light that was always there during dark times. She felt that moment very lucky for having him once upon a time as a teacher.

Iruka smiled back at her sincerely and bowed again towards Rin and left the room.

Sakura followed him with her eyes and caught herself staring through the half open door for a sign of him.

The sun had set and the darkness started covering Konoha.

Naruto shoved away the white curtain and Sakura looked at the dark blue, velvet sky and its little sparkling diamonds. The moon was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it was somewhere hidden.

Like he was…

The empty room was silent.

Naruto, the only one left, sat next to Sakura and leaned on the pillow beside her.

Sakura made some space for him and they lay next to each other, staring at the ceiling as the dim rays from the streetlights reached the room.

Sakura took a deep breath and tried to distinguish every flower's scent that floated in the room.

She shut her eyes and listened to Naruto's breathing, to unknown murmurs from the outside world, the sound of water splashing from the toilets, the screech of a door.

She felt her eyelids heavy, but tried to stay awake. She wanted to see him if he came.

She didn't want to fall asleep now. She was lying all day, doing nothing but smiling to her guests, how could she be so exhausted.

Now was not the right time to feel exhausted. She wanted to see his gentle expression, the grin under his mask, the tempting honesty in his dark silver eye. She wanted to thank him.

But the sandman was already knocking at the door and took her to the world of dreams…


	29. Confessions

Black shadows, small but soaring with the speed of sound, zigzagged above his head and vanished in the leaves of the cherry blossoms in the trees. The bats whistled and played between the pink petals, hunting and breaking the deep silence of the night in Konoha.

Kakashi moved his hands in his pockets and smiled with the little flying vampires.

The irony of such bloodthirsty beasts, which looked so graceful and a perfect representative of the night creatures made him lose his row of thinking. That was good, as his stomach finally had the chance to calm down. The grip torturing him had been there for so long, this little moment was a perfect relief.

But it lasted for only a short moment, as he had arrived in front of the hospital of Konoha.

The big, white building with the hundred windows was dark. The only lights glowed from the reception.

The grip around his stomach got intense as he lifted his head to search for the window of Sakura's room.

He knew perfectly well which it was. The fifth one on the first floor from the right. Of course he knew it. And it was dark.

Was she sleeping, he wondered. Was Naruto with her, as Rin had told him he would.

One thing floated in his mind. One image. Her image; the moment she had woken up, her eyes almost bursting out of the sockets, the loud gasp, like she had been drowning, and the open wounds that had covered her in blood. And it all had started only moments after he had kissed her on her forehead…

The way she started moving madly on the bed, almost falling over. He had held her. He had shouted her name. He had called for help. And then she started bleeding in his arms on her sides, on her face, on her forearms, on her thighs. And she was screaming.

A sound still ringing in his ears.

Somewhere inside of him he thought it was his fault she started bleeding in his arms. If only he hadn't acted so foolishly, kiss her like she was… like she was _not _his student, maybe she'd never torture herself like this.

But thinking like this was stupid and he knew it. She had been fighting the illusion, that's why she had injured herself. There could be no possible way for her to feel his kiss.

Kiss… he felt so disgusted with himself. How could he, he wondered wanting to punch his own face.

Kiss someone without their permission… it was like raping.

Suddenly, he looked at his surroundings, fearing someone was watching him. But there was none else than him and the bats.

I _am _going mad, he thought and forced his feet to take him to the hospital.

Once he entered the reception, he had to adjust his eyesight to the bright light.

He walked to the reception, fighting the urge of rushing to the stairs and to Sakura's room.

A dark-haired woman with a sweet, but tired face looked up at him.

She bowed slightly, as did he.

"Good evening! I'm here to check on Haruno Sakura-san!" Kakashi said in a low tone, like he feared he'd be heard by a certain someone on the floor above them.

The woman checked a list in front of her and then looked at him with a frown.

"What's your name, sir?"

"Hatake Kakashi. I'm Haruno's teacher!" Kakashi replied simply, wishing for a moment this was not true.

"It's really late for visiting hours. There are nurses checking on our patients every ten minutes, you do not need to worry." She assured him with a silent tone.

Kakashi leaned his elbows on the bank.

"Is someone staying with her now?" he asked.

"Yes, Uzumaki-san is staying with her." She answered cautiously.

"Could I have a word with him then? I won't bother the patient!"

The woman hesitated to answer. She examined him for a moment and then smiled slightly.

"Alright, but do not interrupt the patient. She needs rest. I give you ten minutes!" she said hardly.

"Thank you very much!" Kakashi bowed at her and hurried up the stairs towards Sakura's room.

When he reached the first floor, he slowed his pace and moved as silently as possible. Too aware of every step he made, all the images of last night came into his mind. The blood, the screams, the pain on her face. The fear of seeing her like this again felt like a stab in his chest.

He let his arms fall on his sides and he halted in front of the door.

He glanced through the small, round window of the door. He had to blink sometimes to distinguish anything in the dark room.

Slowly, he opened the door, while his heart beat like a drum.

He distinguished Sakura's pink hair emerging from the blanket which covered her over her shoulders. He observed the way her body lifted and sank when she inhaled and exhaled. She sounded so peaceful, it made his heart flatter. He smiled slightly under his mask.

Kakashi followed the only sound in this room; Naruto's snore. He was lying on a plastic chair with the _Icha Icha _novel Kakashi had left behind. He had totally forgotten about it. He actually felt a little irritated seeing his book open on Naruto's lap, like he always felt when he caught one of his students reading what he read.

Kakashi walked towards the blonde, loud jonin and shook him slightly on his shoulder.

Naruto only snored louder in response.

Kakashi grunted with his stubbornness even when he was asleep.

He slowly turned around, fearing Sakura would have woken up.

But she was still sleeping.

He lost the world around him, as now he was in the perfect angle to look at Sakura's face. It was half covered with the blanket, but he could easily see her shut eyes, which flickered slightly as she was dreaming, hopefully a beautiful dream. He caught himself observing her eyelashes dancing slightly with her eyelids' movements. Some dark pink strands fell on her cheeks were scars of her wounds were carved.

Could it be that his kiss had indeed woke her up from the illusion. Had _he _saved her from Madara's genjutsu. Maybe, maybe not, he thought intensively and stood up straight watching Sakura.

No… it was her doing. She had released herself. She was strong, stronger than what they all thought she was. And this is why Madara Uchiha was after her…

Kakashi pressed his lips together and frowned, feeling his hatred about this person rise again inside of him, destroying his beautiful thoughts of her.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi flinched and turned to look at Naruto.

He was wide awake, staring at him with a frown.

Kakashi smiled slightly at him, trying to hide his feelings behind his calm, teacher-like face.

Naruto yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"When did you get in?" Naruto asked with a loud tone.

"Shh!" Kakashi hissed and signaled Naruto to follow him as he walked towards the farthest corner of the room.

Naruto walked behind him lazily.

"Kakashi-sensei! What happened?" Naruto whispered.

"I came to check on you!" he whispered back, glancing once more at Sakura's back.

"How is she?" he asked, his voice sounding too warm. He coughed and looked back at Naruto, feeling such an idiot for losing his calm so easily around her, even when she was sleeping.

"She's getting a lot better. I believe she'll be back active sooner than what the nurses say." Naruto muttered, not seeming like he noticed Kakashi's strange behavior.

"That's good!"

"Yeah! We decided we'll train together and get stronger. We have to, now that bastard's back!" Naruto said showing Kakashi a fist.

"It's a good idea." Kakashi sighed silently.

"Are you alright, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto frowned.

Kakashi looked at him and held his breathe. So he had noticed, he wondered intensively. He couldn't risk this. Naruto had to be the last person finding out about his feelings for Sakura.

"Yeah, why'd you ask?" he asked, sounding as casual as he could.

Naruto scratched his chin.

"You look… not yourself!" he mumbled and looked at Sakura.

Kakashi noticed that she moved her arm and wrapped it around her blanket.

Kakashi breathed again staring at Naruto. The grip around his stomach was too uncomfortable now.

"I have a headache, that's all!" Kakashi said and grinned at Naruto.

Naruto frowned.

"Tell Granny-Tsunade to give you one of her crazy herbs!"

Kakashi chuckled feeling suddenly a relief with the change of subject.

"Yeah, right!" he said and was about to leave, but when he touched the door handle he looked back at Naruto.

"Take care of her! Only you can!" he whispered with his eye fixed on his bright blue ones.

Naruto smirked wearing a questioning look.

"What d'you mean?" he asked sounding serious.

"_You_'ll never fail at this!"

Kakashi sighed silently and shut the door behind him, as the heaviness of guilt drowned his heart.

________________

The sun rose for one more day.

Sakura had her gaze fixed for a long time on the unnumbered trees that surrounded Konoha, which waved under the strong wind that blew today.

She shoved off the blanket and tried to stand up. It hurt all over her body, but the stiffness hurt her more. She couldn't lie down anymore.

Her legs were shaking and she almost fell on the empty chair in front of her. The last minute she grabbed the arms of the chair and found her balance. Taking a deep breath she smiled at herself. Slowly, you can do it, she told herself.

She walked up to the window and hugged herself looking at the beautiful day.

Her head swirled with a thousand questions.

_You'll never fail at this_…

She frowned and tightened her grip around her forearms.

He had come, and she was awake, but she had been too scared to open her eyes and talk to him. Greet him, thank him…

Instead, the fear had taken over her and she hid herself in a fake sleep when she had sensed him.

How awfully she had regretted it. If only she had opened her eyes. See him. See his smile.

How could anyone be so stupid, she thought frowning.

Fail… did he think he had failed in protecting her, she wondered.

Her legs started shaking more, so she leaned on the window. She forced it open, her wounds on her forearms stinging her.

Suddenly the wind blew through it almost sweeping her off her feet.

She chuckled with the fresh air filling her insides. What a beautiful sensation.

Although she had hardly slept ever since Kakashi had visited so secretively her room last night, she felt so alive, so fresh, so strong after so long.

She smiled feeling her strength being focused towards one thought. A thought that transformed into an aim; to go and find him. Find him and ask him what he had meant. If he really thought he had failed on his mission in protecting her.

She couldn't stand imagining him being so disappointed with himself, feeling so guilty perhaps. Because he shouldn't.

If he hadn't been there she would probably have bled to death.

It was like during their last mission in the Village of the Blue Tree. He had been there and he had saved her. He had saved her from a free fall, he had saved her from the thunder kunoichi with the Byakugan.

How could he have failed.

If he wasn't always there, she'd be dead by now…

Sakura flinched with this thought.

Death… she had been so close to it so many times.

It had been always there. Like a dark cloud filled with thunders, threatening to strike on her. But instead it stroke on the people around her.

This striking cloud had the form of Madara Uchiha now.

He was nowhere and everywhere…

He had tied her under his illusion, while she was in Konoha, watched over ANBU shinobi. How… she wondered frowning.

It made no sense. Naruto and Temari-san had encountered him. But she? Had she seen him… she couldn't remember. She couldn't remember a single thing, not even from the illusion. Only the relieving sensation of warmth between long moments of excruciating pain. Nothing more. Not even Madara's Sharingan. But she must have seen it or else how could he drown her in a genjutsu. A genjutsu needs eye contact, so that the caster can connect to the victim's chakra network.

Had this illusion erased her memory. She couldn't possibly have recovered from such a strong illusionary technique by only injuring herself. There had to be something else too. Like this strange warmth she had felt. The only thing she could remember. What could it be…

If Madara Uchiha was really after her, she had to find out what she had done. She had to develop as many ways as possible to encounter his techniques. The next time she'd face him she'd be ready.

I will be ready, she told to herself.

I can't afford it falling unconscious again, while he kills everyone around me, she thought.

She flinched with pain, as her hands tightened around her wounded forearms.

Her heart sank and her airway felt blocked. She swallowed hardly and heard footsteps approaching in the corridor.

Sakura turned around and saw Naruto's head popping inside.

"Sakura-chan! You shouldn't get out of bed. And why is the window open?" he gasped and quickly ran towards her shutting down the window, holding a paper box in his other hand.

"I wanted to feel the air. I can't stand it being closed inside anymore!" Sakura complained.

"Sakura-chan, you're a medic-nin! You should know that you must recover first before going outside! You are still weak!" Naruto said sounding too serious than his normal self.

"That's nonsense! We only say this in order to have the patient under our watch!" Sakura commented.

She felt disappointed. She hoped that Naruto would immediately agree with her and help her escape from this depressing hospital room.

Naruto must have noticed it on her expression as he beamed at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan! I brought you some ramen from Ichiraku Ramen Bar. You'll love it!" he said offering her the box.

Sakura took it and felt the warmth of the freshly cooked ramen. She could also smell it.

She smiled at him.

Naruto drew out a pair of chopsticks from the pocket of his jonin vest.

"Thanks, Naruto!" Sakura sat slowly on the chair and started sipping at the noodles and the pork. The taste caressed her tongue and her esophagus. It felt like she hadn't eaten for days. Even though it was ramen, something she seldom ate, it tasted like the most delicious thing existing now in this world.

If her body could stand it, she'd even eat a hundred portions like this.

Now she could understand Naruto's love for this food!

"Mmm, it's delicious!" she commented between two bites.

"Yeah, I told the old man to give it his best shot just for you!" Naruto said proudly.

"Ah! Then I must thank Teuchi-san personally!" Sakura said and swallowed a big piece of pork and eggs.

"But please don't tell Granny-Tsunade that I brought you ramen, or she'll kill me!" Naruto whispered, like a kid that admitted he had broken his mother's vases.

Sakura chuckled, hearing a pair of footsteps on the corridor.

"I think it's too late for that!"

"What?" Naruto gasped and they both looked at the door, as the Hokage walked inside.

Tsunade's smiley face immediately darkened. Sakura could swear she noticed Tsunade's nostrils open widely as she sensed the ramen's scent.

"UZUMAKI!" she growled and grabbed the scared, blonde jonin from his vest.

"Hey, Granny-Tsunade!" Naruto cried lifting his hands, surrendering in the Hokage's sudden rage attack.

"Tsunade-sama, please don't hurt him!" Sakura said calmly enjoying every single bite.

"Sakura, why are you out of bed?" Tsunade growled at her, letting Naruto fall back on the ground.

Her eyebrows almost touched each other.

"I wanted to move a little. I'm totally fine, Tsunade-sama!" Sakura insisted with a calm tone.

Naruto glanced at Tsunade fearfully, afraid with her every movement, like she'd slap him on his face.

"Totally fine!" Tsunade muttered to herself.

She walked up to Sakura. She placed a palm on her forehead and felt her temperature.

"You really shouldn't move much. Your right ribs are still weak, they have to recover completely before you can move properly again, Sakura." Tsunade said in a softer tone.

Naruto was standing behind Tsunade and made a funny face sticking his tongue out and holding his hands in fists in front of his vest, pretending they were boobs.

Sakura chuckled, almost drowning with a bunch of noodles.

Tsunade frowned and quickly looked at Naruto over her shoulder.

Naruto started whistling and looked at the ceiling innocently.

"Uzumaki, when you die I'll make sure it'll be done from my own hands! Remember this!" she yelled at him, her cheeks turning red and her veins ready to explode from the sides of her forehead.

Naruto grinned stupidly and with huge steps disappeared behind the door.

Sakura giggled and placed the empty box on the bedside table. She missed a heartbeat noticing Kakashi's novel there.

He hadn't taken it back.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Sakura heard Tsunade's sudden worried voice say.

She looked up at her and smiled fakely.

She touched her cheeks, feeling an uncomfortable sting on both of them.

She flinched, feeling scars on both of her cheeks.

Tsunade looked at her worried.

"It's some of the wounds you caused to yourself, when you woke up from the illusion of Madara." She told her.

Sakura stood up and looked around for a mirror. She walked towards the bathroom of the room.

How come she hadn't felt them before…

She dragged her feet with every step.

She grunted, as Tsunade was right with her right ribs. They did hurt with every movement she made.

Tsunade walked cautiously behind her.

Sakura leaned on the sink and gasped noticing herself on the mirror.

_Oh my…!_

"H-How did I do this?" she wondered frowning, observing her altered face.

Deep stitched scars were on both of her cheeks, with a horrible red and purple color. It looked so disgusting she didn't pay attention to the sensation of skin ripping apart every time she moved her jaws.

Tsunade didn't answer. She stood motionless beside her.

"Can't this disappear? Can't you do something about _these_?" she cried, feeling even disgust to touch those scars.

Tsunade grabbed her forearm and forced her gently away from the mirror.

Sakura felt tears so warm gliding on her cheeks that looked like a monster's.

She hadn't recognized herself. What had she done.

"Sakura, don't worry about this now. I can fix it, but the wounds have to repair themselves first." Tsunade assured her and held her from her shoulders.

Sakura looked at her, her vision blurry and felt somehow better.

She wouldn't stand walking around like this, with everyone staring at her like she was some kind of monster.

She knew many who bear scars on their faces, like Iruka-sensei. Even Kakashi had a scar, but he would mostly hide it. But her scars were so disgusting, so monstrous. Meanwhile their scars were always there, ever since she remembered them. She couldn't really imagine Iruka-sensei without it. On him, it didn't look ugly, but hers…

Sakura walked to her bed and covered herself with the blanket sighing forcefully.

Though she had much more serious wounds to worry about, these had the greatest impact on her psychology.

Suddenly she hoped Kakashi wouldn't come by, until Tsunade fixed these horrible scars.

"Tomorrow I'll be able to take you home and I'll watch over you there. It will be much more comfortable there!" Tsunade said softly.

Sakura nodded simply.

"Is it because of the scars you're so depressed?" Tsunade asked leaning closer to Sakura and sitting on the bed next to her.

Sakura looked up at Tsunade.

"I… there are many things actually. All of them together make my head feel heavy!" Sakura said in a grief tone brushing her sticky hair backwards.

"Is it Uchiha Madara?" Tsunade asked.

Sakura felt her chest heavy and nodded hardly.

"I'm frustrated with the fact that… I can't remember a single thing! Nothing from what happened during this illusion! Usually people remember every detail from the illusionary techniques. Why is this one different?" Sakura grunted making a fist under the blanket.

"According to Temari, Madara had developed a way of fooling Hyuga's Byakugan, as a result they were blind. Neither Naruto, nor Temari remember anything from their illusions either. This Uchiha possesses skills we couldn't have imagined, Sakura. We must assume he has developed also his genjutsu in a way that no one releasing themselves from them could use them against him."

"But this may be our only chance of having an advantage against him!" Sakura said with a trembling voice.

"I know! But how can we force you to remember it? Sometimes the body erases memories of its own for the person's sake. Like serious accidents or traumas. It could be it. And if you force yourself to remember you could… lose yourself!" Tsunade said cautiously, her eyes fixed on Sakura's.

"What could possibly have happened during this illusion, Tsunade-sama? I've been under scary genjutsu, and I remember them all! I've seen death! I've seen my own friend bleed to death in my own arms! What could possibly be more horrible?" Sakura gasped, her eyes burning with thick tears, as they always did in response to the darkest thoughts of her lifetime.

Tsunade opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated.

Sakura wiped away her tears, and tried to shove away all those dark memories that occurred three years ago.

"Sakura, you're right! But to be honest I know no single way of waking this memory of yours! And I frankly fear to try it, and so should you! There are ways of facing Madara. I've sent teams on finding out about his past and gather information that will surely help us countering him. Entering your brain is too risky!" Tsunade said in an undertone.

"What if Madara appears again? Now, or in a few minutes? What will this information do to us? It'll be too late! If there is an immediate source of a counterattack against his genjutsu we should take advantage of it! What if he attacks here, with his forces, and drowns us all in his illusions? What then, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura argued, the heat reaching her cheeks and her eyes.

She wiped away again her tears, feeling really irritated with them now.

"I guess you have thought of a way then?" Tsunade folded her arms on her chest, smiling cunningly.

Sakura frowned with Tsunade's playful expression.

How could some people read other's minds, except Madara's skill of course. Kakashi could do it as well…but this was an issue for better times to worry about.

"I learnt of this genjutsu of entering someone's memories two years ago. A monk in the Land of Snow taught me this. They used it on themselves, in order to remember who they were after losing themselves through meditation. But I never learnt how to use it on myself, I can only use it on others. And it demands a big amount of chakra. I use it rarely, and… every time I faint." Sakura remembered the last time she had used it during their mission in the Village of the Blue Tree. The scattered images of the thunder shinobi meeting with the scary thunder kunoichi who possessed the Byakugan and the sensation of fear lingering in the air.

"That sounds scary indeed! But does it need time to be learnt?" Tsunade asked with a questioning look.

"I needed four months, and I still can't get the hang of it." Sakura said.

Tsunade looked thoughtful, biting her lower lip.

"When was the last time you used it?" Tsunade asked, crossing her legs.

Sakura frowned.

"During the mission in the Village of the Blue Tree. Why?"

"Was Kakashi there when you used it?" Tsunade asked with a smile.

Sakura hated it when the other one was ahead of her in planning. She turned her head to the window and then back at Tsunade.

"I think so."

"I'll ask him then. If he was there, he'll probably have copied it. Does this technique have any serious effect on the victim?" Tsunade asked standing up.

"How should I know? I faint when I release the technique! I can't feel a thing, how should I know what happens to the other?" Sakura asked irritated.

Was Tsunade really planning on having Kakashi, out of all the people, search her memories?

She wanted to punch herself for telling her of this technique of hers.

This was too dangerous. What if Kakashi saw something he… shouldn't?

Sakura grunted and avoided Tsunade's questioning look.

"You don't like the idea?" Tsunade wondered loudly.

Sakura shot her a killer glance.

"I can teach _you _the technique, or Naruto, but… not…!"

"Two minutes ago you cried about the short time we have and how we should hurry in finding a way of fighting Madara effectively and now… you hesitate? Sakura, what on earth is wrong?" Tsunade asked placing her hands on her hips looking really annoyed.

Sakura gasped.

She was right. It was her own problem. Madara's matter was the top priority. It was stupid of her to put their village's safety in jeopardy, because of her fear that Kakashi might find out about her feelings.

Stupid…

"Ok, then!" Sakura muttered.

"Great! When I come again, I'll also bring you the technique Rin-san developed of waking someone from Madara's illusion. You can study it. All medic-nins must know it and so should you!" Tsunade said and walked to the door.

But she halted before she opened the door.

Sakura looked at her wondering what she had forgotten. She wished Tsunade had regretted in having Kakashi search her memories.

"I totally forgot about it!" Tsunade mumbled and came back and sat on the chair next to Sakura's bed.

Sakura followed her with her eyes.

"What is it?"

Tsunade looked rather disappointed, almost sad.

Sakura missed a heartbeat. What evil happened now, she wondered.

"I had a meeting with the Elders this morning. They… request on having a meeting with you!"

Sakura lifted her eyebrows.

"What kind of meeting?"

Tsunade petted her fingernails on the chair's arm nervously.

"In short, they do not trust you, considering you abandoned the village for three years, unknown of your actions and acquaintances during this time and, of course, with the fact that Madara is after you. They believe you did something during this time that made Madara mad. Some believe you are a spy of his and plan on taking control over Konoha. Another even said that you are one of Madara's puppets! I laughed with that! They're all so old, they should have quit by now! I mean, their minds are…!" Tsunade said quickly, but Sakura interrupted her, before she started saying crazy things and swearings.

"So they want to question me? Of what I did during these three years? Are you kidding me?" Sakura asked shocked.

Was it really such a big question of what she had done those three years, she wondered feeling frustrated. The one person she loved ever since she was a child was murdered and had let his last breath in her arms, what was so strange about leaving. She was in pain, she was lost. She couldn't stand it living in a place where everything would remind her of him.

"Unbelievable!" Sakura sighed forcefully.

"Well, they had made their minds in sending you away. In exile! But I managed to convince them in talking with you before they made any kind of decision." Tsunade said calmly.

Sakura looked at her.

"Great! And when will this take place?"

"I want to have Kakashi check your memory first, and tomorrow I can finally take you home. I'll arrange it for the day after tomorrow."

Sakura kept her gaze fixed on Tsunade before she sighed again, realizing that life would not be easy from now on.

Kakashi would definitely find out about her feelings about him, then she'd no longer be able of facing him again without drowning in shame. In addition, the Elders didn't trust her and were in the edge of exiling her, believing she was Madara's spy. That was the most unbelievable of all. She had almost died because of his genjutsu, how could this be a behavior towards a comrade, or a slave or whatever, she thought gritting her teeth.

"So… if I cannot convince them-" Sakura paused rubbing her tired eyes "-there'll be no possible way of becoming a jonin then?" she asked.

The desire of becoming a jonin was always there, in the back of her mind, ever since Tsunade had first recommended it the day she had visited Sasuke's grave after three years. But every other occurrence had erased it from her mind.

Now it was back. The desire was there. The need to prove herself to herself…

"Do you really want to become a jonin?" Tsunade asked smiling. Sakura smiled back at her recognizing the pride sparkling in her honey-brown eyes.

"Yes, I want to become a jonin!" Sakura admitted feeling finally her chest lighter, her heart calmer.

"This is why I left!" Sakura began feeling her heart bounce as the words she so long didn't dare to say, finally came out.

"I had to become stronger and a respectful kunoichi. So that I can protect the ones I love. Like Naruto is… like Sasuke was!" Sakura said in a low tone.

Tsunade looked at her, her eyes shining with tears.

Sakura looked up at her and smiled sadly.

"It's been three years!" she whispered, trying to suppress her own tears. "Three years that I only trained… for them, for you, for Konoha! And if becoming a jonin makes me stronger, then I will!" Sakura said and smiled with the wave of confidence rising inside of her, drowning every doubt, every fear, every weakness.

_For the ones I love…!_

Tsunade smiled at her and hugged her tight.

Sakura suppressed the stings in her entire body as she hugged her mentor back.

"They will believe you, Sakura! Don't worry about them! They know you, they know your family! There's no way they'll doubt your honesty! I'm sure you'll make it! You always do!" Tsunade muttered.

Sakura smiled and broke the hug.

Tsunade cupped her face in her palms, hiding her ugly scars.

Sakura felt some tears leaving her eyes.

"You know what? I heard Iruka talk to his class about you and how you fought against Uchiha's genjutsu. Of course he didn't mention much detail, but I can tell when kids look amazed. And they _were_ amazed, and they asked about you. No wonder if they come any minute now rushing through this door asking for your autograph!" Tsunade chuckled.

Sakura chuckled as well.

"That's terrific, because I can't stand Chie's mumbling about Turo-san anymore!" Sakura joked.

Tsunade frowned and smiled, not understanding.

"I'll send someone with Rin's scroll and maybe some food. If you're going to eat normal food, please let it be something else than ramen!" Tsunade chuckled and walked with her sure and confident pace to the door. Her blonde, silky hair danced on her back.

She smiled once more at Sakura before leaving her alone.

Sakura stood up and slowly walked back to the window.

She couldn't stop smiling thinking of everything Tsunade and she had talked about. She would become a jonin, and she would face the Elders, she would face Kakashi. There was nothing that would make her unhappy.

As long her friends and family were safe, she'd be happy.

She opened again the window and took a deep breath of the fresh wind blowing in the outside world.

She covered her eyes as she saw a figure standing motionless on a faraway roof.

The figure was definitely dressed in the ANBU uniform.

She missed a heartbeat wondering if it was Kakashi, but she couldn't make it out from such a distance.

She smiled observing the unknown person and sighed.

_

**thank you for reading!**

**it's funny...at the moment i'm working on chapter 33, and for the first time i reached a point where i can't go on! up until now my hands were trying to keep up with my imagination as i was writing and now i'm on a dead end-i believe those of you who are writers as well know well what i mean.**

**so now i'm searching for inspiration-i know how the story will end, but something will come up for 33 ;) i'm telling you this just so you know that i may be updating less often than what i'm now...yeah dreadful i know! lol**

**anyways, i hope you like it so far! until next time!**


	30. Intruder

Her clenched fists swung pendulously as she walked to the Hokage tower following the usual road from the hospital.

She didn't really mind being late. These moments she spent on the roads, shared between her endless, tiring hours filled with paperwork in her office and the more interesting and somehow more cheerful minutes in the hospital, now Sakura and everybody else was healthy, were the only moments she had to herself and to herself only.

Time was short, she knew that as well. But beneath her strong, fierce and almost invincible mask of the Hokage, she was still human. She was no hyper-energetic youngling like Naruto, or unbelievably determined and decisive like Sakura. She had become old… and she could feel it take over her.

Tsunade forced herself to postpone it as much as she could. At least until all this was over.

If it ever were over… she corrected herself.

Sakura…

She thought of this little creature, who was no little anymore, how much she's grown. How much she actually looked up to her now.

She laughed to herself remembering how she thought of her the first time she had met her. She had been so plain. A little girl who was always in the background, only a spectator in front of Naruto's and Sasuke's achievements. Her only success was in the Academy, where she'd be the first in the exams.

But now… the way her eyes sparkled the moment she told her, in that funny, questioning but serious way, that she wanted to become a jonin, it had made her heart flutter. Now she was the mistress of her own self. Though Tsunade had never actually seen her fight, only her decisive and passionate manners made her strong enough to have exceeded all Tsunade ever thought this girl would become.

She felt a little ashamed with herself, since she had to admit she feared Sakura would never reach Naruto's or Sasuke's level as a determined ninja.

Fortunately she was wrong. Sakura had proven them all wrong, especially her.

Tsunade smiled and her fists loosened up.

Tenzo had spoken of her way of fighting, from their last mission in the Village of the Blue Tree, and Tsunade had been speechless.

She couldn't stop wondering how this girl, who used to be almost useless in any kind of ninjutsu, had managed to reach such a high level. Use genjutsu, have mastered so good water elemental techniques. She had evolved tremendously in such a short time, while others needed years and years to develop even one elemental technique.

This Team 7… they all were real talents. Each one in a different field, but still… together, if they were now all together they would have definitely surpassed the power of the three legendary Sannins…

Tsunade giggled and felt rather cheerful, as she reached the street in front of the Hokage tower.

She entered the spacious foyer and looked around to find the certain someone she had sent to be summoned the moment she had left Sakura's room.

He was leaning by a wall next to the wide stairs that led to her office.

His hands were loose in his pockets and his mask twitched when she approached him.

He bowed slightly at her.

"Hokage-sama!" Kakashi muttered.

"Kakashi, I'm sorry to drag you here, but I need a favor from you." Tsunade said in a low tone, so that only he could hear her.

"Do you remember Sakura using an illusionary technique, entering the enemy's memories?" she asked him.

Kakashi frowned and looked thoughtful for a short moment.

"Yes!"

"And did you by any chance copy it?"

Kakashi inhaled deeply.

"I remember the hand signals, yes!" he said calmly.

"Good, so do you think you could use it on Sakura? We need to find out what happened to her during that illusion. She can't remember a thing and it would be really useful to know how she managed to free herself."

Kakashi's one visible eye looked shocked.

"If she cannot remember anything, I guess there's a pretty good reason, Tsunade-sama! Did you see how she ended up? She was injured all over. That's what happened!" he said, sounding a little taken aback.

Tsunade agreed with him in a way, but Sakura had been right. They needed to know, as painful as it would be.

"She insists!" Tsunade said sighing.

Kakashi's look seemed to surrender. He knew well of Sakura's stubbornness as well.

"Then I guess there's no other way?" he asked turning his head and looking at her from the corner of his eye.

Tsunade shook her head.

Kakashi sighed and nodded after a silent moment.

"Alright, I'll do it, Hokage-sama!" he said in his serious tone.

Tsunade grinned at him.

"Have Rin-san watch over you. I don't want you both to die because of overexertion or something!" Tsunade chuckled, but Kakashi stood motionless.

"Rin-san?" he wondered.

Tsunade scratched the back of her head.

"Yeah! Don't give me that look! Let's say… we raised the white flag!" she admitted and walked down the stairs.

She swore she heard him chuckle, as she lost him from her sight due to the stiff darkness of the lower levels of the Hokage tower.

The cheerfulness she had felt blossoming inside of her earlier began to fade away, realizing where she was heading and what she would witness.

She passed by two shinobi guards, who bowed at her presence and walked through the candle lit corridor that headed to the meetings' amphitheatre. But this time, she followed a pair of stairs leading lower beneath the ground, where the air was humid and the light of the candles wasn't enough anymore to light the way.

Tsunade knew this way perfectly well. She could walk here blind if needed.

The corridor she followed had many passages leading to different rooms. Here was the place where any prisoners or criminals were held for questioning or research.

Few ninja of Konoha knew of this place, as there was no other way in but through the guards and hidden ANBU shinobi.

Tsunade turned to a passage to her right, hearing suddenly shouts and screams. Knowing she was on the right way, her jaws clenched instinctively.

I hate this part, she thought to herself.

She had to blink sometimes to make out the ANBU masks standing in front of her, guarding a large wooden door, covered with mold.

The ANBU shinobi bowed their heads and one of them opened the screeching door.

Tsunade walked inside and felt the bitter scent of blood reaching her nostrils.

The door shut behind her with a loud bang.

Tsunade saw a single man kneeling on the blood covered ground and another one looking down at him wearing a beaming smile.

Tsunade glanced at the tall, muscular man and then fixed on the hostage Shikamaru's team had brought.

He was a shinobi from the Land of Thunders, with a narrow, scarred face and round, black eyes that represented only pain and hatred now. He was tall, but no one could reach the air of greatness Morino Ibiki gave.

Ibiki, the other man torturing the thunder shinobi, was the leader of the ANBU's Torture and Interrogation force. He possessed an incredible, but shocking ability of entering people's minds and using it against them. He rarely used physical methods, since very few had stood through the mind games he played. The ones who did, then, had to endure the worst, finally giving in.

This man here, seemed to belong to this _elite_ group.

Tsunade knew he had been locked in this room with Ibiki for an entire day, no food, no water. And still he kept his mouth shut. As a result, Ibiki was using now physical force.

Tsunade didn't approach Ibiki. She just kept her eyes fixed on the hostage.

She felt a little sorry for the man, but he was the only link they had with Ichirou, Madara's probable accomplice from the Land of Thunder. Her shinobi had already encountered two great men from military forces from two of the five great shinobi lands, Kuroi from the Land of Snow and Ichirou from the Land of Thunder. It meant Madara had spies working for him.

Did it mean he had one here as well…

The thunder shinobi spit blood and teeth on the ground and shot a killer glance at Ibiki.

The man realized of Tsunade's existence and he smiled cunningly at her.

Tsunade felt her head burn and she walked quickly up to him and kicked him in the face.

The thunder shinobi fell on the ground panting.

Tsunade felt immediately good and felt Ibiki's stare.

The only candles in the room lit on his hard face, uncovering two long thin scars on his left and right cheek reaching his neck. A dark cloth, with his Konoha badge tied above it, was covering his skull. His narrow eyes sparkled with pleasure. Tsunade knew no other man in Konoha who loved doing this job, and that's why he was so good at it.

She personally never liked Ibiki Morino, but he was one of the strongest shinobi of the ANBU force.

"Did he spit anything out except teeth?" Tsunade asked, hearing her echo in the room.

Ibiki turned to look at the hostage again.

He let a deep chuckle and grabbed the fallen man from the collar of his black shirt.

The man grunted in pain. His hands were tied behind his back, as were his ankles.

Ibiki lifted the man from the ground with one hand.

"You heard what the lady asked!" he growled at him.

The man smirked, uncovering missing teeth and a pool of blood flowing from his mouth.

"Only teeth!" he laughed hysterically.

Tsunade gritted her jaws together.

Ibiki threw the man on the ground forcefully and started swearing at him.

Tsunade suddenly heard the door of the room open and close and noticed an ANBU shinobi entering.

He bowed slightly at Tsunade and coughed fakely to draw Ibiki's attention.

Ibiki turned around and grunted.

The three of them stood in a close circle.

"This came from above!" the ANBU said in an undertone.

Tsuande frowned noticing a small piece of parchment handed in Ibiki's hand.

The ANBU left the room.

Tsunade realized that this note had come from a messenger, as that was the way of referring to them as _above_, since they arrived with eagles.

Tsunade wondered what it said.

Ibiki spoke, while reading the note at the same time.

"We sent a message to our ally in the Land of Thunders. This man here, Fukusaku Haruo, seems to be a jonin from the Thunders' Land. Our ally sent this in reply." Ibiki said simply and handed the little note at Tsunade.

She read the single sentence.

_Fukusaku has only a wife and a deceased child. No family._

Ibiki was already walking towards Haruo, who was on the ground on his belly, with his face in his own blood.

"Stand up!" Ibiki ordered with his deep, fierce voice.

Haruo simply chuckled.

"You really believe you can handle this right? That's good! That's good! You must be proud of yourself for not betraying your boss. Anyone would! _I would_!" Ibiki growled the last sentence, making even Tsunade shiver.

Haruo glanced at Ibiki, wearing a frown.

"What did Ichirou promise you, huh?" Ibiki asked taking off his black mantle revealing his thick hands and scars on his arms.

There was no response.

"Did he promise you money?"

Haruo chuckled like there was nothing more meaningless and useless than money.

Tsunade frowned. She knew many, maybe too many people who'd do anything for money.

"Did he promise you a promotion?"

Haruo shook his head, like this was such a helpless conversation.

Ibiki leaned over Haruo and grabbed his neck to make him face him.

"Or did he promise you a sweet house for you and your family to live?"

Haruo gasped, and since it was such a hollow, empty room, it echoed into everyone's ears.

This is what Ibiki was waiting for; the first sign that he had finally entered Haruo's mind. Now he had reached this one weak spot of his personality.

Haruo grunted and pressed his jaws together so hardly, it made Tsunade want to look away.

"Hmm! A wife is it?" Ibiki asked simply.

Haruo shook his entire body, trying to free himself from Ibiki, but Ibiki would only keep him close to him. Forcing him to look into his eyes.

Haruo flinched.

"Do you have kids, Fukusaku-san?"

Haruo's eyes seemed ready to burst out of their sockets.

They were all silent for a long and uncomfortable moment.

"Well, do you?" Ibiki insisted with a cool manner.

Haruo shook his head.

"Do you want your dear Fukusaku-san end up like your child then? Because if your boss, which you so greatly protect doesn't take her out, then I will! I personally will!" Ibiki growled, Haruo shaking in his grip.

Tsunade realized she was holding her breath, but it felt too hard to do so in this too heavy, humid air of this room.

Haruo seemed ready to give in.

But he shook his head, like he was still trying not to surrender.

"You're bluffing!" Haruo hissed.

Ibiki's veins on the sides of his head seemed about to explode.

"I… never… bluff!" Ibiki growled every word like they were kunais he stabbed through flesh.

"HAWK!" Ibiki shouted, making the walls tremble.

The door opened and an ANBU rushed in holding a woman tight.

The woman screamed and fell on her knees in front of Tsunade.

Tsunade gasped and looked up at Ibiki.

"What's the meaning of this?" she hissed at him.

Ibiki didn't answer or look at her.

He only kept his piercing eyes fixed on Haruo.

Haruo let a cry of pain and tried to go to the woman, but Ibiki held him back.

"I asked you what is the fucking meaning of this!" Tsunade asked again, now her voice trembling with impatience.

"Please let me do my job." Ibiki said simply.

"She is an innocent citizen from a foreign land!" Tsunade shouted.

How could this have happened without her having a clue.

"It's just a mean of finding out what Fukusaku-san knows!"

"A mean? A _mean?_ She is a woman, a human, for heaven's sake! I demand you to let her go!" Tsunade growled, feeling her chakra gather instinctively in her fists.

Ibiki seemed to have noticed it, as his eyes flickered from her eyes to her glowing blue fists.

Ibiki kept his eyes fixed on hers for a silent moment.

Tsunade saw a strange glitter in his small eyes. Like he was telling her that it was all under control. Like he was assuring her that nothing would happen to that woman. But Tsunade couldn't keep her anger under control. Everything seemed ready to get out. The anger building up with everything that made her mad; Madara, the Elders, her exhaustion, Jiraya being away, Kuroi, and now this.

She felt her whole body feeding with this anger, with this loathing about everyone and everything that threatened her happiness and her effectiveness in the job of the Hokage. That threatened her home.

_Madara…_

Ever since he had returned…

Ever since…

All happened because of him. Because of him did Konoha fall into ruins three years ago. Because of him Sakura had almost killed herself in his genjutsu. Because of him many families mourned the death of their children. Because of him she was missing one of her strongest jonins, Hyuga Neji. Because of him Jiraya was far away from her on a mission. Because of him…

Everything evil was _he_.

Tsunade grunted and noticed a glimpse of worry in Ibiki's eyes.

Tsunade inhaled deeply and shut her eyes trying to focus on calming down.

Ibiki was right. This Haruo must know something and Ibiki knew this, or else he wouldn't insist on bringing his wife here with the danger of losing the alliance of the Land of Thunders. As cruel as it was, they had to find out what Haruo knew hoping it would help them against Madara.

Anything…

Something that could help them win an advantage against him…

They had nothing.

So, hating herself for doing so, she nodded to Ibiki.

He understood and proceeded with his original plan.

Tsunade avoided the woman's fearful stare and focused on Haruo's shocked expression.

Ibiki grabbed Haruo again from his neck and forced him to look at him instead at his wife.

She cried and sobbed.

Tsunade felt her fists clench on their own.

"Will you now tell me about your boss?" Ibiki growled at Haruo.

"Or else I'll have her locked in some other room, where lonely men are locked! What say?"

Tsunade felt disgust knowing of the existence of the other prisoners in these grounds. Criminals and missing-nins waiting for fate to take over their lives.

Haruo screamed and shook his head madly.

"You…!"

"Tell me! Tell me what you know about Ichirou!" Ibiki said calmly.

"He's the head of the military forces of jonins of the Village Hidden in the Clouds!" Haruo said quickly, keeping his eyes shut.

Tsunade noticed his wife folding herself on the ground, like she couldn't stand watching her beloved one bleed in front of her.

"He-He forced many of us to betray the Raikage and fight for a better, more… fair world! He … promised me a safe life, for Sora and me!" he said, suppressing his tears. He opened his eyes only to glance at his wife. She let a sob.

"Ichirou turned against the Raikage?" Ibiki asked.

Haruo nodded.

"Yes! But the Raikage suspects nothing. Ichirou… he keeps active on both sides in order not to draw attention. We were sent on a mission to capture a missing-nin the Raikage believed was hiding in the Village of the Thousand Ghosts. But… Ichirou abandoned us one night as we were resting and… he…came back with… the strangest man I've ever seen. He looked so young, but so old at the same time. And his eyes…!" Haruo grunted loudly and let his head fall on his chest.

Ibiki looked up at the ANBU who was still standing behind Tsunade.

He left the room and returned again holding a bottle of water.

Ibiki helped Haruo drink. He drank with great pleasure and sighed.

"I don't know the man… he only showed us all of a strange illusion… it was some kind of weird genjutsu, which felt so… different from the usual ones. He showed us… the future!" Haruo said and looked at Ibiki for the first time after a long moment.

Tsunade felt her heart bounce uncomfortably.

"The future? What did he show you?" Tsunade asked impatiently.

Another strange kind of genjutsu…

"A world where no borders lay. Where no Kages exist and the people can go around without conflicts. The lands are united and only one rules. He showed me my life, how it would be. I would no longer need to fight! I'd be living in peace with my wife… somewhere safe, somewhere where no war would threaten our peace!" he said calmly like this was the most perfect dream.

It did sound like a perfect dream… a too perfect dream though.

"He promised us… he promised this would become real if we followed his plan. If we followed him. Many of us did, including me. But there was one… Muto-san, he… didn't believe this strange man. He questioned him, his illusions and his ideals, and he finally said he didn't want to take part in this… and he was murdered. By this man. His eyes… I've never seen most threatening eyes! With a single look from these eyes and a flicker of his hands, Muto-san… he fell and never got up again! This monster!" Haruo cried, his voice altered, as his eyes shut falling in a silent mourn of his friend.

Tsunade felt like falling in a dark nightmare slowly, gradually, seeing and realizing how stupid and naïve she had been.

Madara _was _evil, there was no question about it. No matter if he dreamed of a perfect and peaceful world he destroyed the happiness of so many people in the process. How could this be considered good…

We _must_ take him out, Tsunade thought and grunted silently.

"What was his plan?" Ibiki asked, sounding now much calmer.

Haruo lifted his tiring gaze.

"Kill the Kages and put an end in the ninjas' era!" Haruo sighed and let his head fell on his chest, like it was too heavy to keep it up.

Tsunade gasped and remembered every single word Madara himself had told her; about a world living in grey, where no wars and no peace existed. Where everything was perfect enough for everyone to live in, in a numb world, in an empty world, in an unbalanced world, where Uchiha ruled.

Tsunade shut her eyes and tried to forget this deep desire to go and punch the walls around her to dust.

_Put an end to the ninjas' era…_

There was no logic in this. There was nothing that could excuse this weird ambition of his. Ninjas were a crucial part of their history. Shinobi and kunoichi existed long before her great-great-grandparents lived. They were always there, though not in such great numbers as today, protecting their homes, their families when in danger.

Many years ago, the few existing ninjas traveled in small groups going on personal, secret missions for the sake of their homes and friends. Later their knowledge passed to future generations and became the greatest power of the present. So many children grew up dreaming to become strong enough to protect their families, their companions, their homes. The way of the ninja had become a standard part of today's life… so, how could one man, one mad man plan on bringing this to an end.

Madara was himself a shinobi. Why would he want so much to destroy the effort of hundreds of years. Ninjas were no longer killing machines, they were protectors.

Except Madara…

But still, so many shinobi were following him, which meant they also agreed with him. They wanted the ninjas to seize to exist.

Why…

Tsunade looked at Ibiki who had glanced with a questioning look at her.

"Did he tell how he plans on achieving this?" Tsunade asked Haruo, after finding her calm.

Haruo looked at her, after glancing at his wife.

"I only know that he has many under his commands. Powerful shinobi from military forces of the five shinobi lands, missing-nins, and plans on claiming even more. He is building his own army… dear, how could I believe him! How!" Haruo grunted forcefully and fell on the ground.

"Haruo!" Sora cried and crawled towards him.

Ibiki stepped backwards and looked at Tsunade.

"What shall we do?" he whispered.

Tsunade brushed her right palm above her face and inhaled deeply, feeling the humid air reach her brain cells. She wanted to feel the fresh air on her skin before making any assumptions and decisions.

She let a sigh and walked to Haruo and Sora, who were whispering to each other comforting words.

Haruo looked up at Tsunade and froze.

Sora looked scared as well.

"Don't worry! We will have you under our protection. You helped us, so we'll help you as well. It's the least we can do after all this inconvenience." Tsunade said in a low and calm tone releasing Haruo from the chains around his limbs. Then Haruo untied Sora and they helped each other stand up.

Haruo shot a sharp glance at Ibiki and then looked back at Tsunade. He bowed his head slightly, as did Sora, and his eyes seemed calmer, though still cautious.

"Hokage-sama, we cannot return home now, so we'll accept your offer. This… man, he killed my friend, and I want to take revenge. For Muto-san!" Haruo announced decisively.

Tsunade liked his spirit. Even after so many hours of interrogation he could still keep up. For his friend who had been murdered in front of his eyes.

"You'll have a place to live and no one will hurt you again. If you remember any other details about this man, I would appreciate it if you could share them. I know your hatred about this man, and if I told you of everything else he's done you'd begin to hate your own self for living in the same world with him! I promise you he won't live to make his strange, cruel plans real. I myself won't let this happen!" Tsunade said, her fists clenched.

Haruo, for the first time, let a hint of a satisfied smile.

"Of course! If you promise my wife and me our safety, I promise to help any way I can!" he said wrapping his arm around Sora's waist.

"I will!" Tsunade said, bowed at him to thank him and walked away, towards the door.

Ibiki followed her with his eyes.

"Hokage-sama!" Ibiki began, but Tsunade looked at him with a sharp look, causing him to flinch.

"Do as I said! We are no monsters, we are humans. We are ninjas!" Tsunade said, feeling the sensation of pride rushing in through her body, like her chakra had suddenly awakened.

Tsunade forced an assuring smile at Ibiki and left the room.

______________

Sakura wanted to leave this depressing room. The desire to feel the fresh air and walk again had grown so intensely she couldn't sit still, or stop complaining to everyone who dared visit her.

Naruto had tried, in vain, to assure her he himself would take her outside at night when nobody's watching, but Sakura insisted that they would then have to deal with the ANBU team that was assigned to look after her.

Besides Kakashi-sensei was part of this team, and Sakura wanted to avoid disappointing him. Especially him.

Sakura had been trying hardly to hide all those crazy thoughts take over her normal and casual self in front of Naruto and Chie. Sometimes she would fall silent into these thoughts, making her friends worry, thinking that she had been under another genjutsu without them noticing it. Sakura would laugh hysterically with their stupidity and then drown into her thoughts again.

She was sitting, like there was anything else to do around here, on her bed fidgeting her fingers and playing with the thick blanket on her lap. Her gaze was lost on the tiny twists of the fabric of the blanket, while her mind was travelling in the future, when Kakashi would come and perform the memory retrieval technique on her. Would he see something she didn't want him to see… and if he did would he go mad or would he laugh at her… or was there any probability he would respond to her feelings about him.

Sakura sighed for the thousandth time, imagining herself wrapped in his arms again, as he would tell her how well he understood what she was feeling.

That would be too good to be true, she concluded.

I can think of a million reasons he could never feel the way I do, she thought intensively.

But…I just have to live with this. He _is_ in my life, that's all I need. He is one of the most wonderful people I've ever met and I should feel lucky to have him as my sensei… why should I ask for more when there is _no more_!

Sakura slowly looked outside the window the afternoon sky cloaked with round, cotton clouds with a pearly colour.

Such a beautiful day which she wasted in thinking so pessimistically.

She had so many beautiful people in her life. Kakashi was one of them… but for unknown reasons he was the one dwelling persistently in her mind, making her sigh so often, lost in imaginations of his up-coming reaction once he would intrude her memories.

And there was this one moment, the only personal moment she had lived with him; the most wonderful and magical embrace she had felt in years. His embrace… Kakashi's embrace…

Instinctively, Sakura wrapped her own arms around herself trying to remember what she had felt that night. The sparkles in his eye. The happiness she had seen in him. A long anticipating excitement blossoming inside of her…

She felt it return and cause her body to shiver.

Sakura tried to hide it by covering herself with the blanket, while Naruto and Chie were talking excitingly with each other.

Any minute now he will come, she thought nervously.

Any minute…

She caught herself listening to any sounds coming from outside the room, but Naruto's and Chie's voices were so loud, she couldn't hear a thing. And on top of that, Kakashi had probably the most silent walk in Konoha.

_Oh dear!_

Sakura looked at the door and swore she could hear someone approaching.

She stopped breathing and tried to distinguish Kakashi's walking pace. She had developed her hearing tremendously during her days in this room, always trying to listen to whom would visit her this time. She knew long now Naruto's walk, Tsunade's as well, but Kakashi's was always the most difficult one to guess.

It must be him, I don't know whose walking pace this is, she thought and gasped when the door opened.

To her relief it was only Rin-san, so she inhaled deeply, letting her body calm down.

But the moment she calmed down, her body became stiff again, when she noticed his dark dressed figure appearing like a ghost behind Rin.

Kakashi grinned from under the mask and closed the door behind him.

Sakura froze, her eyes flickering on everyone's faces, trying to avoid his.

"Hey Rin-san, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto greeted in his louder tone.

"Hi! How is everyone?" Rin asked looking at Sakura.

Sakura smiled nervously and avoided Kakashi's stare.

"Ehm, great! Super! I mean fine!" Sakura said every word so quickly it all sounded like a single one.

_Shit, I'm losing it!_

Naruto and Chie shot questioning looks at her.

"Really?" Rin wondered.

Sakura nodded, not trusting her voice anymore after this sabotage.

"Well, you know why we're here right?" Rin asked crossing her arms on her chest.

Sakura nodded again, and unwillingly looked at Kakashi.

He was looking at her worried.

Sakura wondered what he was thinking. He would definitely have disagreed with her idea of entering her memories, and right now so was Sakura, but there was no other way.

They had to find out what Sakura had managed to do in order to get out of Madara's genjutsu, even if it meant Kakashi would find out what she was feeling about him.

Sakura quickly looked away.

"I know!" Sakura whispered.

"What is it?" Naruto wondered sounding annoyed he didn't know what was going on.

Sakura looked at him.

His bright blue gaze fixed on hers.

"I'll tell you everything later, Naruto. I think you two should better go now. Come back later. Please!" Sakura said in an undertone.

She felt bad for keeping him out of this, but he would eventually find out. But now she just wanted to go through this. Naruto being present wouldn't make things easier.

She would better face Kakashi's reaction by herself, wishing she wouldn't fool herself too much in Rin's presence.

Naruto wasn't pleased, when he took Chie by the hand and they left the room.

Sakura sighed again and looked at the blanket.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Kakashi finally spoke, his voice soft and deep, it surprised Sakura. She hadn't heard his voice for a long now.

She looked up at him. He was standing at the end of the bed looking concerned at her.

"Let's get this over with!" she said, regretting for sounding so rude.

"I… just want you to know that I don't agree with this." Kakashi said calmly.

"I thought so, but it was my idea and I know of no other way. It might be all we have right now, so let's do this!" Sakura insisted avoiding his worried look.

She noticed him about to argue, but he kept silent.

Deep inside she wished he would continue arguing so he wouldn't enter her mind, but that would be too stupid, too selfish.

Uchiha Madara was out there…

This was their priority. Her priority…

"Try to focus on the night I woke up. It will be easier since you were there when I woke up. Try to think of this and find the right time of this happening inside my memories. I will focus on everything I can remember of this illusion to guide you. Follow the chakra in my head, alright?" Sakura said, in a slightly harsh tone.

She had thought of it over and over again. Of a way of hiding her guilty memories and thoughts from him.

"Understood!" Kakashi said and drew his hands out of his pockets.

"What will happen to you, though?" he asked.

Sakura looked at him with a frown.

"I-I don't know. We'll find out I guess!" she joked, not really caring about that now.

"I saw what happened to the ones on whom you used it, during the mission… they fainted. They were in pain."

Sakura noticed the hesitation grow on the little part of Kakashi's visible face.

"I'm sure Madara's genjutsu was worse, so don't worry!" she smiled at him and sat straight on the bed.

She noticed Rin with the corner of her eye stand alert next to her.

"Ok!" Kakashi whispered to himself and took a deep breath.

He made the complicating hand signals and formed a triangle with all his fingers locking it in front of Sakura.

Sakura smiled with the irony of having one of her techniques used on her, and from Kakashi, and she felt her head suddenly spin so quickly her feet swept from the Earth, drowning in a dark world…

____________

Kakashi forced one of the most horrible nights he had lived through his mind, Sakura lying in a pool of blood in his arms while he was shouting for help.

He felt his heart beat so fast it felt ready to rip through his chest.

He had a hard time keeping his hands signaled in the triangle while he forced his chakra infiltrate Sakura's mind.

Suddenly he was no longer in the hospital room and Rin had vanished into thin air.

But Sakura was there…

He could feel a beautiful warmth fill his body and noticed the lit room turn into a dark foggy forest. He noticed burnt tree branches surrounding him and the earth beneath his feet covered in black ashes.

The air was so dry it made both of his eyes watery.

Kakashi looked over his hand signal and saw Sakura standing beside him. She was dressed in her fighting clothes and her eyes were shut.

Kakashi tried to walk closer, but he felt unable to move, like his feet were glued on the dry ground.

But he thought of moving and so he did.

Now he was closer to her, next to her, but he couldn't feel her.

It felt like he was alone in this place.

So alone it caused him to shiver.

The warmth reached him deep inside causing him to feel a welcoming energy reach his limbs, his lungs, his heart.

Kakashi grunted as his forearms started to burn while he kept his hands in front of him in a triangular signal.

He glanced to his left and gasped noticing that they weren't alone.

A dark shadow had emerged from the ashes and was staring at them with the brightest eyes he had ever seen.

So bright it was the only source of colour in this moody place.

Crimson iris locked on Sakura's shut eyes.

Kakashi realized now that all he was feeling wasn't what he was feeling, but what Sakura had been feeling through this genjutsu.

Kakashi turned to look at his student and felt the usual pain of too clenched fists and noticed that she had her fists tight on her sides. She was forcing her nails through the skin of her palms as she kept her eyes shut.

Kakashi desired so much to move, but knew that he would intrude in a way it would probably hurt Sakura, so he stayed as calm as he could.

But she was in pain.

In so much pain…

He could feel it…

Kakashi looked at Madara and froze seeing his cunning smirk as he crossed his arms on his chest. The black cloak danced around him as he walked closer to Sakura.

Sakura did the mistake to open her eyes and she opened her mouth like she was trying to breathe, but couldn't. Kakashi suddenly felt the lack of air and felt his lungs burn excruciatingly.

Sakura let a scream, so loud so piercing it made the ashes bounce above the ground.

Kakashi gritted his teeth feeling the pain reaching him as well, like he was enduring all the pain Sakura had felt.

It ached so much all around him, inside of him, he wondered how he was still keeping his hands in the triangular signal.

If he broke it, the technique would end.

He had to keep up and see, feel what had happened.

Madara took a deep breath lifting at the same time his arms in the air and signaled towards Sakura.

Sakura looked at him.

Kakashi felt thick, warm tears fall on his cheeks and suddenly he could breathe again.

Sakura, her face slightly purple and covered in tears, turned quickly from right to left like she tried to avoid Madara's technique.

Kakashi felt the tension in his own muscles in his neck and noticed Sakura lift from the ground and let another cry of pain.

Kakashi couldn't breathe anymore. He was panting so fast no air managed to reach his lungs.

The fog became so thick, everything was covered in white. Kakashi lost sight of Madara and Sakura and saw ghosts dancing around of him. He gasped when he realized that the ghosts were real people, people he knew.

They were all on the misty ground, folded in half, crying and screaming in pain. One of them was Naruto. His face was so altered in agony he didn't look a bit like the Naruto he knew. Next to him lay Tsunade, her entire body covered in deep cuts, like she had been whipped. Her hands were covering her face as she was crying alongside Naruto. Behind her lay a woman with short brown hair and eyes shut while invisible hands were wrapped around her throat, as she choked.

Kakashi could hear Sakura's thoughts reach his mind, like they were his thoughts.

_Mum!_

_Naruto!_

_Tsunade-sama!_

Kakashi saw many others he also knew laying on the ground, beneath the thick fog crying in pain, Iruka, Shizune, Lee, Ino. The screams all echoed through his ears and reached the depths of his soul, making him wish he was there as well, hurting with them, sharing the torments they had to go through.

It all seemed so real, Kakashi had lost track of time.

But he saw something he couldn't believe he had seen.

He had seen himself kneeling on the ground and out of nowhere kunais shooting through his flesh, small flows of blood covering his body.

Kakashi felt his insides burn in such a great fury he could easily distinguish it as Sakura's.

_Kakashi!_

He heard her cry in his head and he felt his heart sink.

Sakura let a cry and run towards her beloved ones, her friends, her family, her comrades who were all being tortured in front of her eyes.

She tried to shake Naruto awake, but he continued screaming in pain, his arms wrapped around his sides.

"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed.

Kakashi felt his throat ache as Sakura forced all her strength to scream their names.

"NO! NO!" Sakura cried swirling confused around herself. Her palms were covering her mouth, her eyes so red with tears.

"This-is-an-illusion!" Sakura told herself and Kakashi felt his tears reach his lips.

He tried to think for himself, but Sakura's thoughts were so many it flooded his entire existence losing himself.

"This-is-an-illusion!" Sakura tried to convince herself.

"_How does it feel, Haruno?" _Kakashi heard a deep voice call from somewhere faraway.

He felt an intense shiver take over him.

Sakura gasped and wrapped her arms around herself shutting her eyes again.

Kakashi's fear grew and he searched around to notice any sign of Madara.

Sakura kept telling herself that this all was an illusion, again and again. But Kakashi could feel that it had no effect on her.

Suddenly the fog began to disappear and the dark forest came back in display.

Kakashi grunted.

"I'll kill you, Madara! _I'll kill you!_" Sakura growled.

Kakahsi had never heard her sound so furious, so pissed off before. This energy had filled him so suddenly, his breathing had calmed down, but his chakra was in flames inside his body.

He focused on Sakura and noticed how she had covered her face pressing her fingers on her cheeks.

Kakashi wanted this time to shout himself, feeling the invisible fingernails piercing through his own cheeks.

The rush of adrenaline was so intense he was no longer master of his body. He noticed her open her mouth in pain, letting an unsounded scream as her cheeks began to bleed.

He could feel the stabs on his face.

The anger and hatred for Madara had given her the strength to do this to herself in order to get out from this tormenting illusion…

Kakashi gasped as this time Sakura kneeled on the pile of ashes, covering her leggings and boots. She pulled up her leggings, uncovering her thighs. Now her fingernails were stabbing through them, her veins ready to burst out of her neck.

Her pain had become his pain, and he wished he could steal it from her, so that she wasn't going through it again. He wondered if she was going through this again along with him.

He wanted to break the hand signal, but…she could do this. She was strong. Stronger than him. He would have never got through this…alone…

Never…

The stabs were now burning like hot metal through his entire body. In his thighs, his cheeks, his forearms.

How was she still standing…he wondered impressed.

Madara was looking perplexed, when Sakura suddenly was drowned in silence. She no longer saw Madara, or the forest around her. She was floating in the darkness of her mind.

Where everything was so silent it felt like heaven compared to all the pain and torture of Madara's illusion.

Kakashi could hear Sakura's voice say her thoughts inside his head.

_Is this still an illusion?_

_This warmth, this beautiful warmth…_

Kakashi could feel this warmth, the one he had felt when he had started this technique.

It was indeed welcoming, and tempting it made him fall in a magical sensation of eternal peace. Like this was the perfect ending…

But the last thing he could imagine was that this warmth was actually his doing…

His own mind felt like waking up from the most vivid nightmare, as his own thoughts and memories returned. He gasped, confused with the mixing mass of thoughts and feelings, Sakura's and his. The calmness, the silence and a beautiful excitement came into his mind reaching his heart and making his insides flutter like butterflies.

The moment before Sakura had woken up, he had been in her room, watching over her… and he had kissed her on her forehead, focusing on driving her away from this tormenting illusion she had to go through on her own.

All his existence had one aim that moment, to bring her back to the real world, where she'd be fine and protected… protected by him.

He had promised it to her…

And this warmth it felt the same like the one Sakura was feeling. Like two pieces of a puzzle finally fitting together perfectly.

Her memory was his memory.

Kakashi couldn't believe it. The sensation of being trapped in a huge black hole made him freeze in this place.

Sakura was floating like a dead puppet in the darkness, when she opened her eyelids slowly and a faint smile appeared on her face.

It had been him…

His kiss was the one thing that had awakened her…

The too silent darkness of Sakura's mind disappeared like smoke under the inevitable force of a hurricane and they were again standing in the middle of the burnt forest.

Kakashi had stopped breathing, and remembered that he had to when he saw a shocked Madara staring at Sakura.

He forgot all about the fact that he had indeed saved her, as Sakura's thoughts flooded his conscience once more like a tidal wave.

A massive amount of energy waking her chakra inside of her reached him.

Sakura pressed her lips so hard together, Kakashi felt his own grow numb.

_My pain…my own pain,_ he heard Sakura's thoughts.

He felt ready to collapse and fall in the deepest sleep, but the power inside of him, moving on its own forced him to stand his ground.

Memories of Sasuke lying in his hands appeared in front of his eyes. His tearful eyes staring at him, as he bled to death there in his arms.

_I've been through so much worse…_

Kakashi couldn't keep up anymore.

Sakura's conscience was so intense, like he was trapped in a loud room, as millions of memories, thoughts and feelings came rushing into his mind.

His head started burning tremendously he desired to scream.

His arms were shaking too much by now, he feared he'd break the signal any second.

Sakura forced her fingers to stab her lower stomach and Kakashi grunted forcefully feeling her pain.

His knees were shaking, like hers.

His eyes were tearful, like hers.

His heart was hurting, like hers.

And Madara was there, motionless, observing every little move Sakura made.

Kakashi wished he could run towards her and take her with him back to reality.

_Sakura…_

And, suddenly, a magical relief reached his mind and he felt like the sweetest lullaby was sung to him.

So beautiful and so welcome, he could not deny its arrival.

A fruity scent reached his nostrils and the relief grew to numbness and then perplexity…

______________

"Kakashi?"

"Kakashi, how are you feeling?" he heard a concerned voice call.

He grunted and lifted himself from the something soft he felt beneath him.

"What-what happened?" he asked, his voice sounding really tired.

He felt tired.

Like he had climbed a mountain for days and nights non-stop.

He felt a sudden rush through his head and he sighed rubbing the back of his skull that hurt the most.

His arms ached as well.

What had happened… he wondered.

He opened his eye and blinked to see a bright room around him, all white, except something red. It was a blanket thrown over him.

"Kakashi, take it slow!" Rin advised him helping him to sit on the bed.

My head, he thought, and like out of the blue everything came back into his mind.

Sakura, the memory retrieval technique, the burnt forest and her pain, which he had felt like his pain.

So much pain, so many screams, so much torture…

He gasped and turned to see a familiar pink-haired girl standing motionless in front of him.

Kakashi's gaze fixed on hers and he tried to distinguish anything on her face.

She looked pale and her eyes were so red, for a moment he thought he was looking into the Sharingan.

"Sakura!" he said feeling a strange heaviness inside his throat as he said out loud her name.

She flinched and crossed her arms under her long, white gown, like she tried to hide them.

She stared at him almost terrified.

Kakashi realized what he had found out during this technique and he wondered intensively if she knew as well, or if it was the fact that now she remembered, in addition, every detail of the illusion Madara had caused her.

"You- !" Sakura began, her voice so deep, trembling like she had cried for a long time.

Kakashi forgot that Rin was there and he stood up making a step towards Sakura.

She didn't move, she just sighed deeply.

Sakura looked so vulnerable it made Kakashi shiver.

"Sakura, I…!" he wanted to say something, but… it felt so hard.

Sakura looked up at him and he noticed two sparkling diamonds flow down her red, scarred cheeks.

He remembered the pain she had to endure while causing all this to herself.

She had overcome every barrier … and he had just watched…

She had been so strong, no one else could have managed something like this.

No one except her…

And he had helped her…

"You saved me!" Sakura said and made Kakashi miss what felt like a million heartbeats.

_____________

Sakura let a chuckle and let her head fall on her chest pressing her arms around her, her fingers gliding over the scars of her sides.

"You brought me back!" she whispered this time to herself, staring at her bare feet.

"You saved me!" she repeated and smiled to herself.

She feared to look at him.

But her head moved on its own, lifting itself and looked at him.

At his shocked, sparkling eye. The eye with the silver tint shining like the full moon in the clearest night.

Her heart was beating normally now and she liked feeling so alive.

Knowing what she had been through had grown like a flame inside of her, which had brought her a wonderful sensation of invincibility.

And _he_ had saved her…

Kakashi…

All the fear that had made her so madly nervous previously… now was long gone.

Now she didn't mind if he found out, because he had brought her back to life, when everything around her had transformed into hell.

"Do you…remember everything?" Kakashi asked, hardly sounding calm.

Sakura noticed the strange tremble in his tone.

She smiled at him and felt the temperature of her body rise.

"Yes!" she said simply and walked closer to him, lifting her gaze to look at him.

Kakashi opened his mouth to say something, but Sakura never heard what he intended to say.

"Ehm, Kakashi, I should check on you! Your chakra's capacity fell suddenly and it must have had some sort of consequence to your Sharingan." Rin said, making Sakura flinch.

She had been so drowned in her thoughts, so that only Kakashi existed for her.

Kakashi flinched as well and he stepped backwards to look at Rin.

Sakura frowned, noticing Kakashi's anxiety.

"We should inform the Hokage." Kakashi said harshly, not looking at Sakura.

"Did you find out what you were looking for?" Rin asked and her eyes flickered from Kakashi to Sakura.

Sakura froze as she crushed back on Earth from her dreamy thoughts.

What could be told to Tsunade, she wondered. All she knew was every single detail from this horrific illusion and that Kakashi had pulled her back to reality, but… how had he done it she didn't know. And she wanted to find out.

At this moment she really wished Rin hadn't been here, but if she hadn't, there would be no one to heal Kakashi from nearly fatal exhaustion some minutes ago.

Right now Sakura was filled with even more questions.

Kakashi seemed to be thinking the same as she, as he hid his hands in his pockets moving around looking tensed. He looked like he had been through the worst nightmare. She knew he had experienced whatever she had, and she wished he hadn't.

_Kakashi-sensei…_

"I will talk to her. Don't worry… you rest!" Sakura said looking at her sensei, at the man who had saved her.

He looked at her in question and surprised.

Their eyes stayed fixed for a moment it felt like days for Sakura. But it was not the look he had given her weeks ago, when he had held her in his arms back in Rin's house. In the contrary, it was filled with a hint of fear, something she had never witnessed in her sensei's eyes. She had never seen him scared before, and it made her shiver.

Kakashi flickered and nodded slightly before walking towards the door.

Rin looked worried at Sakura and then followed Kakashi.

"Kakashi, are you alright?" Sakura heard Rin whisper to Kakashi as she grabbed his hand.

Sakura was worried as well seeing how Kakashi had taken it.

He looked so…guilty.

She wanted to ask him, but Rin was there, and she didn't really know what to say.

Maybe she should leave it this way, but…she didn't want to.

"It's my head! I'll be fine, Rin-san!" Kakashi replied silently and opened the door.

"Is there…something I could do?" Sakura asked suddenly, surprising even herself.

Rin looked back at her. Kakashi stood motionless beside her.

"Hey! What happened?" Sakura heard Naruto's loud voice from the corridor.

Sakura felt her heart sink and she so wished she had been alone with Kakashi.

It became too crowded, as Naruto and Chie entered the room, pushing Rin and Kakashi to come inside.

Sakura kept her eyes fixed on Kakashis' back of his head, his silver hair and the collar of his jonin vest.

_Kakashi…_she tried to call him with her thoughts, in vain.

"Chie, I'll come by later to go home together, and don't strain Sakura, ok?" Rin said looking at her daughter.

Chie nodded and sat on the bed, where a few minutes ago Kakashi lay.

Sakura tried to get a glimpse of Kakashi's eye, but as he walked outside with Rin she couldn't see a thing.

She wanted to call for him.

And then, he glanced at her, and she missed a heartbeat noticing whatever fear was there reflected in his eye before turned into sorrow…

__

**Thank you for reading and keeping up with the story! **

**Just to inform you, so you have some clue of what might happen later in the story, there will be no real development in Sakura's and Kakashi's relationship-yeah it's mean for you Kakashi-Sakura fans, but it's just that I've so focused on Sakura and her own improvement and evolution as a super-strong kunoichi, so Kakashi-sensei will be staying in the background...well, kind of! So, please look forward to more action and twist in the plot rather than fluffy, romantic scenes lol! **

**At least for now... ;)**

**i wish you a nice holiday and merry xmas! xxx**


	31. Mistakes

**Hey :) Happy New Year to all**

**thanx for reading and keeping up so faithfully with the story! It's so great seeing so many readers... you're great!!**

**Please do not forget that I accept any critic and especially such that'll improve my writing- inspiration is not enough, talent to write is a must as well, right?**

**A small but important reminder: I do not own Naruto.**

**Won't keep you anymore... so HAVE FUN!!!**

"Wait!" Sakura called, as Rin almost closed the door.

Sakura walked as quickly as she could, grunting with the stabbings burning all over her body.

Naruto stomped towards her and grabbed her before falling over.

"Sakura! You should lie down. It's been a hard day for you!" Rin said with a worried face.

Sakura tried to be calm, but for some reason her eyes didn't let go of Kakashi.

He was leaning on the wall beside the door, hiding his head in his palms.

"Kakashi-sensei-!" Sakura began but no words came next. Rin, Naruto and Chie were all staring at her with concerned looks.

She cursed fate and the turn of things for not being alone with him…

How did this all happen…, she wondered.

Why did she wish to be alone with her sensei? Why did she want to talk to him and open her heart to him? Why did she have suddenly the desire to kick everybody else out of the way? Why did she want to comfort him and tell him soothing words? Why did she want to _kiss him_?

Her head was burning as she was shaking under Naruto's grip, her eyes fixed on his sorrowed, hidden face.

_Kakashi…_

"What happened, Sakura? Are you ok?" Naruto muttered next to her.

She could barely hear him.

She could feel something wasn't right.

Kakashi was too silent. He hadn't even moved ever since she told them to wait.

He was motionless, on the wall, hiding his face.

Sakura calmed herself down and listened to Kakashi's breathing, as Naruto and Chie were muttering something. His breathing… it sounded too heavy.

"Kakashi-sensei! What's wrong?" Sakura called releasing herself from Naruto and ran to him.

She grabbed his arms and forced them to leave his face.

Sakura gasped.

And she swore everyone else did as well.

"Oh dear! Naruto, go call the Hokage. NOW!" Rin ordered.

Naruto didn't move. His eyes were popping out of his head as he was staring at his sensei breathless.

"NARUTO, NOW!" Rin screeched.

Naruto tripped over Rin and ran like a fire bolt through the corridor and disappeared down the stairs in a second.

Kakashi's eyes were forced shut and his face was all red with blood running down his left eye.

"What happened, Rin-san?" Sakura asked, as she placed one arm behind Kakashi's back and together with Rin they moved him back in the room.

"The technique must have strained his nervous system too much, as a result his Sharingan as well."

They grunted as they placed him on the bed.

Kakashi moaned with pain.

"Mum!" Chie called worried.

"Chie, dear, I want you to help us, ok?" Rin asked her daughter, who was staring scared at Kakashi.

Suddenly she looked like a child, something you could rarely see as she was rather grown up for a normal thirteen year-old.

Chie looked at her mother and nodded, her eyelids flickering.

"Kakashi-san needs us! Can you do this?" Rin asked her, as she placed a pillow under Kakashi's head.

Chie swallowed with difficulty and glanced at Sakura.

"Yes! I can do it! Kakashi-san is a good man!" Chie said in a low tone.

Sakura tried to hide her up-coming tears.

She looked back at Kakashi and felt all the guilt eat her from the inside like a monster.

This technique, my technique… I should have thought it'd be too much for his condition, she thought and felt a grip around her stomach.

"Go bring clean towels and hot water." Rin told Chie calmly and the girl rushed out of the room, banging the door behind her.

Sakura looked at Rin and she back at her.

It was time…

"We can do this!" Rin said with a courageous smile.

Sakura smiled hardly back at her.

"We can do this!" she said and tried to realize what she said.

Could she…

She had been hundred percent sure days ago, but now… after whatever had happened she felt her hands shaking, her heart pounding madly in her chest, and on top of that all of her scars piercing through her entire body.

What had she done…

She had been the reason behind this, and it ached too much thinking like this; knowing that she was the cause of Kakashi's crucial condition. How could she have been so selfish, not even thinking what effect the Memory Retrieval technique would have on him, beside stressing his nervous system too much. She had let him experience everything she had to endure through the genjutsu of Madara, all this pain, the stabbings, the asphyxiation, the torture of seeing your beloved ones being beaten up in front of your eyes. It could have been avoided, but all _she _had been worried about was for him not to find out her feelings about him.

If it meant he'd never go through this painful illusion, she'd tell him herself about her true feelings… she wouldn't mind, as long as he'd stay sane and healthy, calm and strong and handsome as she always remembered him.

It felt like a nail was being stabbed through her skull and she had the deepest desire to scream, maybe time would turn back, and she would have another chance to make things right…

_Kakashi-sensei…_

"Sakura! I want you to read his vital organs; if the exhaustion and the lack of chakra power in him had any serious impact on them, alright?" Rin woke her up from her swirling thoughts.

Sakura flinched and shove off some strands falling on her sweaty forehead.

Kakashi was silent, his breathing rate too slow to be normal. But blood kept flowing from his Sharingan endlessly.

"Alright!" Sakura said and she signaled the signs that had become second nature to her.

She let her hands float above Kakashi's torso and her chakra reached her palms, then infiltrated Kakashi's vest, shirt, his skin cells and through his organs.

First she felt his heart, the most powerful muscle of the body beating with a stable, but slow frequent rhythm. His heart felt weak under Sakura's chakra flow.

She frowned and felt a heaviness down her throat.

Time doesn't turn back, she thought. Now is my chance to correct the faults of the past. For you…

_Kakashi…_

_You'll be fine… I promise you that…_

___________________

It was the fourth day after Turo, Kiba, Shino and Hinata had left from Konoha on their mission in the Waves' Land.

The sky had been so thickly cloudy ever since they had reached the Green Island, the most fertile island of this Land, and the humidity pierced their bones as they walked through the magnificent jungle that surrounded the Village of the Hanging Clouds.

Hinata had never been here before, and she tried to enjoy the moments she spent in the jungle in the middle of the ocean and keep every detail of it in her mind, but knowing the importance and the hazards of this mission, and the fact that her dearest cousin was hostage of their worst enemy didn't help her enjoy herself.

Being in the middle of the Nature herself couldn't ease her mind.

The sounds echoing from the jungle sounded like the haunting ghosts from the time the Earth was born, although it was only animals of the island and the rushing of the infinite number of plants, trees and bushes.

Hinata often caught herself shivering as a strange piercing sound cut the normal buzzing of the dense jungle.

Shino was walking to the front, the position of the lead tracker, feeling like home in this unfamiliar place.

This jungle was the home of a billion insects, and Shino, whose family held the secrets of techniques which used insects as means, took advantage of those creatures to keep their team hidden from possible traps or encounters with unwanted ninjas.

They were walking cautiously, giving Shino the appropriate time to communicate with the bugs of the jungle.

Hinata looked up at the gigantic leaves of a pineapple tree filtering the air making it look slightly green in her eyes.

_Neji…_

Was he alive… she thought. She hadn't stopped thinking of him ever since Shikamaru's team had arrived announcing the news. She couldn't believe he was dead, it couldn't be possible. He was tough, he was strong, and as the Hokage had assured her herself Neji was too precious for Konoha to be killed just like that. It had not made Hinata feel better though.

Her cousin was still kidnapped by Uchiha Madara…

And besides that, Naruto had been under a genjutsu of this Uchiha. She hadn't seen him, and she wished she had.

She wished the Hokage would have brought him back to reality.

She hoped he was alright…

_Naruto-kun…_

Hinata swallowed her upcoming tears and looked at the ground, trying to hide her grief.

She heard a bark coming from Akamaru, Kiba's lifelong partner, a huge dog in the size of a young horse with long white fur.

"Shino, did you get that scent?" Kiba asked from the right side of Hinata.

Hinata tried to force away all her thoughts that made her heart ache and concentrated on the surrounding environment.

She shut her eyes and let the familiar amount of chakra reach her brain and then her eyes, giving her the beautiful feeling of power in her soul.

"Byakugan!" she said and opened her eyes seeing suddenly the greenish jungle around her in colours of dark blue and silver, as now she could see the energy of chakra radiating from every living creature around her.

The world around her turned into a semi-dark night where everything was covered with stardust. The silhouettes of the trees, the mold on the rocks, the mushrooms on the ground were all cloaked in fluorescent light.

She ignored Shino's and his bugs' chakra as she looked to the front passing by a family of small monkeys and a curling snake, tarantulas and parrots, two squirrels and sleeping bats, when she noticed a human sleeping on top of a huge tree that reached over thirty feet from the ground.

She had managed to develop her insight technique to the level of sensing any shinobi, or even the tiniest insect in a distance of two miles around her. Of course this demanded a good chakra capacity, in which she still lacked compared to her cousin.

Hinata focused on this person and could tell from the chakra capacity that it was definitely a shinobi.

"I think it's him!" Hinata announced searching around the shinobi if there were any traps set around him, but found none.

"Is he alone?" Turo asked, landing beside Hinata.

"Yes! And there are no traps around him." She said, as she deactivated her Byakugan and looked at her captain.

Turo was a shinobi whom she didn't really know, but liked and had heard good things about him. She could tell he was a dedicated shinobi of Konoha and, according to the rumours he was an ANBU shinobi as well. The strange thing with Turo were all those colourful pins all over his jonin vest.

But still, she didn't feel comfortable without Kurenai-sensei, one of the best jonins she knew, who had stopped being her sensei, though, ever since she had her baby. More than three years ago.

And since that time, her team had been attending missions accompanying others, and changing captains every now and then. As a result they had no stability and had to go over basic teamwork over and over again, every time a new captain would take over them.

Of course her relationship with Shino and Kiba hadn't changed a bit. In the contrary, they were much closer to each other.

Hinata couldn't imagine her life without them anymore, that's why she couldn't imagine what she'd do if one of them ever…died. Like Sasuke had. Would she have been that brave as Naruto had been, or Sakura?

Maybe not, she concluded,

But she had no time to think of such things now.

The Hokage had entrusted them this mission; to gather information about Uchiha Madara's past. She had to concentrate on that.

"He must be half a mile ahead of us." Shino muttered, fixing the position of his sunglasses on his nose.

Turo sighed and placed his hands on his hips looking thoughtful.

Hinata observed her teammates and fixed on Kiba, who looked concerned at her.

She forced an assuring smile at him, sure though it didn't look as convincing as she planned to as he looked at her even more concerned.

Turo let his clenched fists fall on his sides as he looked at each one of them.

"Ok, I want you to remember everything we said on the ship. Know that he could be anywhere, so keep your eyes and noses open all the time!" Turo said in a low tone.

"Aye!" the three said as one.

"And one last thing I want to ask from you… don't split, no matter what!" he said sounding rather grief, making Hinata miss a heartbeat.

"Aye, Turo-sama!" they said determined and together they proceeded deeper into the jungle following the tracks of the shinobi they were said to look for.

Hinata remembered when Turo had created a perfect shadow clone of an unknown shinobi wearing the forehead protector of the Land of Thunders, using him to find out any information from the local villagers in the main port of the Green Island. One old woman had heard of the name Uchiha before and a family which used to live in the Village of the Hanging Clouds many years ago. She had said that there'd be one man who'd definitely know what had happened to that family, and he was exiled in the depths of the haunting jungle. A place every logical person avoided.

They had been searching the endless jungle for a day, and they were on a good road, since they had already found him.

But it all felt too easy to Hinata, and she couldn't stop this bad feeling burning inside of her. Though she still wasn't sure if this feeling was caused by Neji being kidnapped and Naruto being under a horrible genjutsu. All caused by the same man…. Or if it was indeed due to the circumstances of this mission.

Turo had told them that the Hokage believed they wouldn't need to encounter Madara himself, but it didn't mean he wouldn't have his own shinobi guarding the secrets of his past.

Hinata glanced at Turo, who was running behind them, letting every now and then his own traps behind him, in order to make sure no one followed them.

Hinata caught a glimpse from Kiba, who looked too alert.

Hinata stopped breathing in order to listen to whatever Kiba was hearing, but she couldn't make anything out. The continuous buzzing of the jungle was all she could distinguish.

Kiba looked at her and shook his head towards his right and Hinata nodded at him understanding.

She activated her Byakugan silently, and she did see a group of hidden shinobi towards the direction Kiba had shown.

Hinata could tell that all her teammates had realized the existence of the strangers.

Shino had sent his bugs towards them, while Turo was whispering at Kiba.

Hinata knew her part.

They had planned everything on the ship, on their trip towards the Green Island. Turo had told them of their basic plan, which would be to meet in disguise anyone who might be acquainted with Madara's family, like old people who used to be shinobi. But on top of that, Turo had told them of another plan, which had to be performed at all times; never think of the main plan, only a second before performing it. He had said it was the only way of keeping Madara's exceptional ability of reading people's minds from messing with their plan.

It had sounded too hard at first, but Turo had insisted on practicing during the two days on the ship, as a result Hinata felt much more confident on acting like this; thinking of doing something fake and then do what she knew she would do long before fooling her enemy.

It was fascinating, but too risky.

Especially now that Neji and Naruto were always there behind her eyelids every time she blinked.

Concentrate, she tried to convince herself.

Her part in the plan was to stay hidden, in order to act like the last player in this game and keep her powers from being exposed to their enemies.

This was based on her latest technique which she had mastered two months ago, and one of the reasons she felt so powerful and confident in her recent missions. Even Naruto had shown his amazement…

Hinata kept moving forward and suddenly, when she lost sight from her teammates she increased her speed and jumped up a tree and run above the ground in a circle in order to reach the enemy group of shinobi from the back.

She activated her Byakugan and recognized her team immediately.

She could see Shino's little soldiers crawl towards their enemies like a massive glowing cloud, every tiny bug filled with a small amount of chakra.

Hinata smiled slightly with satisfaction and jumped even higher on the trees of the jungle. It was much harder to run through these dense plants than in the forests of Konoha. Every now and then her hair would get caught and pulled from the tree branches, or her clothes would get entangled, but she kept running no matter what.

Their plan depended on it.

She mustn't stop.

She looked now to her right where, far away from her, Turo, Kiba, Shino and Akamaru were. The enemies were a few feet ahead of them.

Hinata tried not to look so shocked when she saw Turo's shadow clone which was a perfect copy of her.

But Hinata could tell from the chakra flowing in the shadow clone that it definitely didn't match her.

Hinata focused on the enemy group and she continued running until she was a safe distance behind them.

She couldn't distinguish any other than these four shinobi, so she decided to halt and do her thing.

She continued moving as silently as possible in order to avoid drawing any attention.

Shoving away from her the leaves and the branches around her, she crawled above the trees as closer as she could to the enemies.

Suddenly, there was a loud barking from Akamaru and Hinata froze.

They were fighting.

She could see from all of them, except Shino's and two from the strangers', the chakra glow intensively in the darkness of Hinata's sight.

Kiba was moving in the speed of sound, with Akamaru by his side, attacking their enemy.

Turo was in close combat with another one.

Hinata stopped and focused on the two shinobi who were not fighting. The one on the left seemed to have a tremendous amount of chakra inside of him.

She had to take him out, as he looked the most powerful of the four. She couldn't risk it letting him fight her comrades.

Hinata focused her Byakugan on the back of his head, not seeing him as he was more than fifty feet ahead of her inside the deep jungle.

She locked her eyes on him and deactivated her Byakugan, now seeing only trees and insects floating and birds soaring between the branches, but she didn't blink, she didn't flicker her eyes.

She knew her eyes were fixed on the strongest of the four enemy shinobi, so she signaled with her hands a complicated jutsu and frowned when she completed the last hand signal.

All of a sudden, everything around her got dark and she felt such relief when the buzzing of the jungle seized.

In front of her, his back turned towards her, stood a tall man. He looked so huge, Hinata wondered if he _was _human.

He was at least twice her height and more than five times her size.

She noticed him let his thick, muscular arms fall on his sides as he turned slowly around to face her.

Hinata tried to concentrate on her chakra flow, which seemed to decrease suddenly. It was due to her fear, which was taking over her.

When the shinobi's eyes met hers, Hinata missed a heartbeat.

His skin was dark brown and his eyes were the most evil she had ever faced.

They were so dark, like the darkest night, and a dark green cloak was falling loosely from his shoulders.

A katana was tied on his right hip.

His pitch black hair were long, falling like black silk on his back.

A smirk appeared on his face.

Hinata gasped and she tried to force more of her chakra into her technique.

It was supposed to be a technique in which the victim would be suffering an experience of being unable to move while the caster could beat him up until there was no chakra left to keep the victim still.

But this man… this man was looking so cool, and he was moving.

Hinata forced even more chakra towards the man's brain, but his smirk only turned into a cunning smile.

He laughed, making Hinata shiver.

"It only tickles, girl! It feels like a feather caressing my skin!" he said, his voice so melodic, but so evil at the same time.

Hinata couldn't keep up.

He showed no signs of being in pain as he normally should.

She had underestimated him.

_You can do it! Come on!_

She fixed her eyes on his chakra flow and activated her Byakugan.

She knew how risky this was, while she was performing a genjutsu at the same time, but she could waste no time.

As long as she had him trapped in her illusion, he would not be able to harm her team…

She ran towards him and performed the Gentle Fist Technique.

Spinning around him, she aimed on hitting the vital spots of his chakra network, but he always counterattacked.

She moved even faster and tried harder, but she could feel the exhaustion reaching her rapidly.

She had to make it soon, or else she'd…

Come on… it's not Uchiha Madara so you can do it,_ s_he told herself.

The shinobi managed a kick on her back making her scream with pain.

Hinata fell down on the invisible ground feeling her limbs suddenly numb.

She grunted as she forced herself back up again, but the man caught her from the collar of her black jacket and lifted her up.

Hinata was now face to face with him, his raven eyes examining her face.

The dark world of her illusion had now turned against her. How strange, she thought.

All this time I focused on really living this fight, even thinking like I _have _become the victim here, she told her inner self. So… I think now is time to apply the _real plan…_

Hinata released the Binding Technique and without further delay, the magnificent jungle reappeared together with its continuous buzzing. It felt so welcome, being back in the real world, that Hinata hardly held back a smile.

Hinata was alone, on the same spot where she had began her genjutsu, while the man was back on the tree where he was before.

"I hope this works!" Hinata mumbled to herself and she activated her Byakugan. Unfortunately, although she had used the Binding Technique only to go along with the expectations the enemies would have from them, the same chakra was consumed. As a result, she could feel it already hard to use her Byakugan.

Hinata activated it so that she could re-orient herself in the heart of the jungle.

The chakra flow of the jungle was indeed breathtaking; there was no surface of it not covered with the tiniest living creatures, whether they were plants or animals.

Hinata found the man she had fought seconds ago running in the jungle alone. The way he moved seemed like he was confused. Perhaps he was searching for his teammates.

She looked around, passing by a strange bird with a respectful chakra capacity, a group of beetles, millions of poisonous ants moving in a straight line like troops, a carnivorous plant which had just swallowed a pair of flies and then she saw it.

Shino's insects. Although every living being holds chakra in it, the insects of Shino were glowing more intense in the darkness of Hinata's sight. They were as distinguishable as the Northern Star from the rest in the night sky.

The bugs were lined in a way so that they formed the words _HIGH EARTH_.

"High Earth!" she whispered to herself and smiled satisfied that their plan had worked so well so far.

______________

"_Hey, Hinata, look! Look at that! There are dolphins!" Kiba shouted like a little, happy boy._

_He leaned on the rails astern of the ferry, which sailed from the southern shores of the Fire Country to the Land of Waves._

_Turo was lying on a bench on the upper deck sunbathing, while Shino was walking lazily around the crowded deck._

_Many people heard Kiba, as a result the rails were now covered with curious people of all ages. Many ooh's and aah's covered the continuous splashing of the ferry above the calm sea._

_Turo hadn't moved a bit and Shino probably thought it was too plain to watch the dolphins._

_Hinata, on the other hand, tried to make her way through the crowd of people in order to get a glimpse from the dolphins._

_Kiba had noticed it so, with Akamaru hopping beside him like he wanted to see more of those marine mammals, he walked towards Hinata._

"_Hey Hinata! You're really slow you know that? If you had come, when I called you, you wouldn't have that problem now!" Kiba smiled at her, tasting the salt from the splash on his lips._

_Hinata tried to get her hair tied in vain, as the wind was strong and her long, black with a slight purple glow hair kept hiding her eyes. The eyes of a Hyuga, pale lavender iris with no pupils._

"_You wanna see them?" Kiba asked mischievously._

_Hinata looked perplexed at him. She looked really cute when she did that face._

"_The-the dolphins, you mean?" she asked with an innocent tone._

"_Yeah, what else?"_

"_Ehm, yes! I do!" she said. Kiba had got used to Hinata's low voice, so he was perfectly able by now to read her lips, as were many in Konoha. He had never heard her shout. Rarely, and only during battles._

"_Great! I'll show them to you!" he told her happily and he kneeled on the slippery floor, turning his back to her._

"_Get on my shoulders and you'll be able to see everything!" he assured her seeing her perplexed look as she fidgeted._

"_Ehm, Kiba-kun, what are you doing?" she asked._

"_Oh, get on!" Kiba insisted playfully, loving it when he knew Hinata felt uncomfortable, so he grabbed her legs and forced her to put them over his shoulders. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted himself from the floor._

"_Kiba-kun, put me down! Please!" Hinata cried, her grip tight around his neck._

"_Oh, relax!" he called as he tried to breath. Her legs were warm around his neck and he liked the feeling making his heart beat faster._

_Akamaru barked happily next to them._

_Kiba hold Hinata's thighs so that she wouldn't slip away from him and he walked towards the crowd of people at the rails._

"_Can you see them, now?" he asked looking up at her._

_Hinata hesitantly let go of her one hand in order to keep her hair out of her face._

_Kiba was staring at her pale face glowing beautifully as the sun shone right on her and the splash of the waves reached her perfect skin. There was nothing more beautiful for him at the moment. Not even the sea or the dolphins. There was only her…_

"_I can see them, Kiba-kun! Th-there are many of them!" she said and smiled widely._

_Kiba lost his concentration and was about to trip over with the movements of the ship, but he kept his balance the last moment._

_Akamaru made a strange sound, like he had realized what his lifelong partner had just experienced._

"_Shut up, Akamaru!" he hissed glancing at the dog._

_Akamaru barked and he pushed away a group of people in order to see himself the dolphins._

"_They are so beautiful!" Hinata called and Kiba felt her hand moving on his bare neck, making him feel a tickling in his stomach._

"_Oh! I should get down now! You-you must be tired lifting me up all this time!" she said with a sad smile and tried to climb down._

_Kiba smiled and helped her glide down his back._

"_You're as heavy as a feather, Hinata! So don' worry about me!" he said and felt sad for not touching her anymore._

_She chuckled and blushed avoiding his stare._

"_Hey, Kiba, Hinata! Come please, we need to talk!" Turo shouted all red on his face from sunbathing too long. Shino was standing next to him fixing the position of his round sunglasses._

_Kiba felt Akamaru rush next to him towards Turo, and together with Hinata they walked towards their teammates._

"_I think it's time we talk about our strategy on this mission, as we can take benefit of our free time on the ship to practice. Follow me!" Turo said calmly and they walked to the front of the upper deck, where the people were fewer and the wind stronger, so that no one could hear them._

_The sky was perfectly clear and the sea as calm as a glass of water, the only disturbance on its sparkling surface coming from the ferry and the dolphins._

_Turo, Shino, Hinata and Kiba, alongside with Akamaru, sat on a round table under a covering protecting them from the sun and the waves._

_Kiba observed Turo's serious expression and understood the importance of their mission, although it was only to gather information about Uchiha Madara's past. _

_It was a mission on which their home village depended on. _

_Just like the Hokage had said the day of the alert meeting before they were assigned on this mission._

_He had felt fear and he hadn't hidden it. These words about the most powerful shinobi in the great five lands… it would scare anyone. That comforted him a little; knowing he wasn't the only one afraid. The Hokage had been afraid, he had seen it on her drawn with exhaustion face that day. The anger trembling like drums in her voice, the loathing sparkling like a freshly polished katana in her eyes._

_Everybody had felt fear._

_But power as well. The Hokage had informed them all of the hazards lingering, of the abilities of this man, of the situation at that point._

_Kiba had heard from other jonins and from members of his family who were part of the ANBU force of what this Uchiha, the last Uchiha standing, had done. Of the murdering of young genins, of the destruction of small villages in the north, the deaths of shinobi of Konoha._

_That was more than enough to start a war against him._

_And now, when they were about to leave for their mission, they had heard that Shikamaru's team had arrived from their mission with Naruto and the Kazekage's sister in a coma state, caused by this Madara._

_The moment friends of his were hurt by this man, the war had become personal for him. As it had become for every shinobi and kunoichi of Konoha. Hinata had lost her cousin, who was kidnapped by Madara, and many families mourned the deaths of those ANBU shinobi who had died from Madara's hands._

_This man had brought hell to his home village…_

_Kiba glanced at each of his comrades and saw the same determination on their faces. Only Hinata didn't look sure. She looked sad. For a good reason._

"_So, you all know why we're here, right?" Turo began crossing his fingers on the table in front of him._

"_Aye!" the three said as one._

"_So, if something I say is not clear to you, let me know. The plan has to be perfectly carved in your minds once we reach the island, so don't hesitate to ask anything, alright?" he asked looking at each one of them. His eyes stopped on Hinata, like he had seen the hesitation on her face._

_Kiba glanced at his teammate and then back at Turo._

"_We will!" he said talking for everyone. He hated it when others thought of Hinata as weak, because she wasn't. They just had never seen her fight in real pressing conditions. Shino and he knew her potentials and she was strong. They could depend on her._

"Don't take looks for granted, boys!"_ Kurenai-sensei had said when they were little when Shino and he would brag about how slow or how weak Hinata used to be._

_And their sensei had been right. She had improved, as they all had._

"_Great! Now, you know of Madara's ability to read people's minds. That means he can see through our chakra and read the thoughts, and perhaps memories that dwell in our heads that moment. That's all we know about this ability of his. I don't know if he can look in the past. I doubt it though, or else he'd use it against us a long time ago. But…he reads minds. He knows who we are and where we are. As a result he informs his accomplices, so that they're prepared for us. I've been through this so I know firsthand, and according to this I thought of this plan…" Turo paused and looked at the sea before turning back to his team._

"_We can use this ability of his against him and his dogs!"_

_Akamaru barked annoyed and Kiba shot a killer look at Turo._

"_Please, don't say that again! It insults us!" Kiba warned Turo._

_Turo looked worried at the huge dog sitting next to Kiba growling at him._

"_Ok, pardon me Akamaru!" Turo said and bowed slightly at the dog and then at Kiba apologetically._

_Akamaru barked once in response pleased._

"_Well, we can use, as I said, this ability against Uchiha and his followers. We will act just as we _are supposed_ to act. That means we plan one strategy over another."_

"_Meanin'?" Kiba wondered, noticing frowns of question on his teammates as well._

"_Meaning we act on one plan, which is the disguise of the real plan. This helps us not think of the real plan and so we manage on hiding our real intentions from the enemy who already knows our plan. The one we're working on. This is why we have to start thinking like this even from now on. The more we focus on the fake plan, the more distant the real plan becomes in our minds." Turo said looking too serious._

_Kiba crossed his arms on his chest._

"_How can we not think of the real plan, when our mission depends on it?" he asked, again talking in regard of his teammates as well. He had accepted the fact that he was the voice of his team, since Shino and Hinata were always too silent._

_Turo smiled._

"_You act according to the fake plan, and only a few seconds before acting spontaneously you think of the real plan. To them it seems spontaneous, but to you it's the real plan!" Turo said petting his gloved fingers on the plastic, covered with salt, table._

"_I don' get it. A strategy is supposed to make a mission easier, not makin' knots with our brains!" Kiba commented feeling annoyed for not understanding Turo's plan of a fake plan and a real plan._

_Turo leaned back on his chair and looked at Shino and Hinata._

"_Do _you_ understand what I'm talking about?" he asked them not satisfied with Kiba talking about the three of them._

_They both shook heads._

_Kiba frowned and tried to hide his irritation from the leader of their team. He knew his teammates much better than he did, and they trusted his judgement. They were a team for more than five years. They had grown up together, had been through so much together. How could this man doubt his part in the team._

_He talked for them, and when they didn't agree they both, Shino _and _Hinata, were perfectly able to talk about themselves._

"_Alright! I'll give you an example." Turo said calmly and fell silent for a moment._

_Kiba listened to the rushing of the ship above the flat surface of the sea. White ripples like snakes made of snow were created by the ship and traveled faraway on the ocean that extended beyond the Waves' Land._

_It was such a beautiful day…_

"_On my last mission, one of my teammates conceived this idea. In order to fight this foreseeing ability, we had to act without a plan and confuse our enemy. This spontaneous act of the body is called instinct and is caused by the rush of adrenalin. The need of the body to survive in a difficult situation, when everything it at stake, when you're standing between life and death. But we cannot risk it acting like this, without a backup plan, without a strategy to put our thoughts in a row so we don't act carelessly. Because then we'll have to face other problems." Turo paused and drew out of his small bag tied around his waist two shurinken in the shape of four-edged stars._

_He held the one in front of the other, the one tip stabbed in the plastic surface of the table._

"_What do you see?" he asked and looked at each one of them._

_Kiba frowned._

"_Two shurinken!" he said sounding bored._

"_Hinata-san, what do you see?" Turo asked and looked at Hinata who was sitting in front of him._

_She was staring at the shurinken and frowned._

"_One shurinken!" she said in a low tone._

"_That's right! Let's say, Hinata-san is my enemy. The shurinken represents my mind, my brain. I think of this plan." He said showing the shurinken on the front. "This plan is to use my Firing Thunder-strike Technique against you and then use taijutsu as you fight to get away from the flames of my technique. You are Uchiha, you read these thoughts dwelling in my head. You even sense the chakra needed to perform this technique flow in my body, but…the moment I'm supposed to do the hand signals, I do other hands signals. You are prepared to fight the flames, but the last moment I change the hand signals into a Water element technique. This is a simple way of how I use the fake plan to disorient you, before I apply the real plan. This one!" he said and pulled the first shurinken out from the table, leaving the other one alone._

_Suddenly, a flock of seagulls soared in the wind and almost dived in the sea before lifting themselves up the last minute._

_Akamaru barked at them, but the white comets didn't pay any attention at him._

_They fished and kicked the sea surface to fly back in the sky before crushing in the water._

"_But… Kiba-san said correctly that he sees two shurinken. This is the flaw of the plan. If you're not focused and don't trust your mind, all can fall apart resulting to your defeat… meaning your death. I'm sure you understand the risk of this mission. Uchiha will be expecting that we'll be searching into his past, find out anything about him. So any secret existing will be guarded if not destroyed. And you know that something guarded is something precious! We must find it. Claim it! Our victory depends on it. The more we know about the enemy the better for us. We gain an advantage. So we must all stay focused. Since we have no Sharingan to match Uchiha, we have nothing else to base our strategy upon except this way of thinking; the plan over the plan." _

_Turo brushed his hand over his beard on his chin looking thoughtful._

"_You will need to practice on thinking one way, knowing the real plan, but not using it until the last time. We will do simple exercises so you get used to it." he continued, but he stopped when Shino suddenly moved, leaning his elbows on the table._

_A sunray sparkled on his sunglasses, uncovering for a second of a second his eyes from under the black glass._

"_I have one question!" he said slowly, his voice deep but as clear as the sky. "Let's say we are lucky enough not to face Uchiha Madara, but only some of his followers. They'll know who we are, they'll know our abilities as they'll have been informed appropriately. That means, they'll be expecting for us to act like we would supposedly act. We would trick them, but they'd already know. But… we will know that they'll know, so we will have another trick, an ace in our sleeves, to confuse them. It is humanly impossible to act like this all the time. Since we have to deal with human beings, everything can change, resulting our _real plan _has to change in addition. How will this happen?" _

"_That means our real plan has to be perfect!" Turo said lifting an eyebrow._

"_No plan is perfect!" Hinata said, her voice trembling slightly._

_Kiba noticed a blush on her cheeks._

"_We can reach perfection, and will have to. Until our brains fall asleep! Our mission depends on this." Turo insisted._

"_We understand it depends on it, but if we cannot follow, then we'll be travelin' in vain here and the Hoka-!"_

"_We can follow, Kiba!" Shino cut him off looking at him with an expressionless face. The collar of his jonin vest was so high it hid his mouth._

_Hinata gave Kiba an assuring smile as she agreed with Shino._

_Then she looked back at Turo._

"_I…I suggest we do these exercises Turo-sensei has prepared and then we'll know if we can take on this plan. What do you say, Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked him and looked at him with her casual sincere, innocent smile._

_He felt a strange kind of defeat, which he liked to accept, so he smiled at her and nodded._

"_Ok! Hinata is right. Let's try it first before judging!" he said and chuckled._

_Kiba could see the logic of this way of thinking. The strategy planned over another. Turo-san's example sounded too simple, but he had got the idea and realized how much more difficult their mission had now become._

"_I must admit it's a clever plan, but still it is rather easy to confuse yourself with it. I mean, plan over plan and actin' with the one before returnin' to the backup plan. Only thinkin' of it makes me lose my mind, let alone doin' so!" Kiba chuckled again and stretched his arms above his head._

_Shino and Hinata glanced at him._

"_Was this Kakashi's idea?" Kiba asked._

_Turo shook his head and smiled hiding his shurinken back in his bag._

"_No, it was Sakura-san's!"_

__________________

"High Earth!" Hinata whispered to herself.

It was a mention to their _real plan._ But…don't think of it, don't think of it, she told herself as she ran through the jungle, her Byakugan activated, fearing Madara was somewhere near always informing his followers of his enemies' thoughts.

In addition, she feared the shinobi she had almost trapped in her genjutsu would follow her. She couldn't risk that happen, so she tied an explosive tag on the handle of a kunai and hid it on her path, somewhere where her follower would definitely step on.

Hinata glanced over her shoulder, seeing a glowing figure running behind her.

The darkness of her vision was interrupted by one source of light that made her gasp.

It was like a bulb of light in a tunnel, so bright, so tempting.

_What is this…_

She tried to force her feet to move, but for some reason they wouldn't listen to her. Like someone had her trapped now, on this tree branch.

The buzzing of the jungle seemed to get louder with every second passing by.

Was it the jungle though or the increasing pounding of her heart, she didn't know.

"Run! Run!" she shouted to herself and all of a sudden she was flashing through the dense plants of the jungle.

She deactivated her Byakugan which had already consumed a huge amount of her chakra making her dizzy as she ran so fast.

Her feet were moving so fast that she had never thought she could run so fast, the trees rushing by beside her.

Something's wrong, she thought. That light… she was sure it had been a human, but… how was this possible. She had only seen such a huge chakra flow only once… and it had been three years ago that Naruto had reached the level of a Sage using the chakra of the Demon that used to dwell inside of him.

Could it be… another Jinchuuriki using the chakra of a Demon.

Could it be…Uchiha Madara, she wondered feeling her throat dry.

There was no way she'd be able to face Madara alone. They had talked about this possibility, Turo-sensei and her team. If this ever occurred, only teamwork and concentration would best save them, so she had to run as fast as possible to catch up with them.

_High earth, high earth,_ she repeated in her mind.

They had agreed to talk using opposite words in order to communicate with each other. Just like Turo had told them never to split some minutes ago.

_Oh no!_

Hinata missed a heartbeat. She had just made the biggest mistake… she had thought of the real plan. She had fallen in the trap of thinking the trick behind the fake plan. The shurinken hidden behind the other shurinken…

And if this _is_ Madara, then I just destroyed our plan… our victory, she thought intensively and felt a tear reach her dry lips.

She had failed, and she could feel her follower closing by, along with the source of light, the strange, unknown human with the great chakra flow.

Hinata halted suddenly and turned around to face the haunting jungle.

If she was the reason behind her teammates' defeat, she would have to fix her own mistake… alone.

Hinata pressed her lips together and froze all the tears that where threatening to appear, by filling the place around her with explosives tags tied on kunais and shurinken.

If she was to fall, she wouldn't fall alone…

_Neji…_

_Naruto-kun…_

Hinata activated her Byakugan and saw the two silhouettes. Two shinobi, the one she had already encountered and another one with the tremendous amount of chakra flowing through his body like glowing liquid.

Hinata postured in a defensive style and took a deep breath before signaling.

**Now, the holidays are over :( , I'll be updating more often :)**

**Have a nice evening/day!**

**Now, the holidays are over :( , I'll be updating more often :)**


	32. Reason

**Oh so sorry for the long wait... it's exams' period so it will last a while for the next chapter as well- hope you dont get too angry :)**

**haha here's the next one- HAVE FUN!**

Was there an ultimate aim for everyone in the path of life?

It felt like there was, she thought and let a sigh drying the drops of sweat from her forehead.

If there was one thing in which she was really good beyond reach, this was it; medical ninjutsu.

Her hands had become her most trustworthy tool, combined with her precise chakra control and the level of concentration she could achieve. All this provided her the tremendous ability of medical techniques.

Sakura liked the idea of becoming the second best medic-nin Konoha had produced, after her mentor. She smiled to herself and flinched when a cold hand touched her shoulder.

She turned around to face Tsunade wearing a tired, but satisfied smile.

Tsunade was looking proud, and it boosted up the mood of Sakura. She had totally forgotten of her own exhaustion. Only seeing her mentor, a person who didn't get impressed easily, smile at her telling her with a simple glance _well done_ was enough to tell herself that she had really improved.

Sakura let her heavy head fall on her chest and she felt Tsunade's grip on her shoulder tighten for a moment before leaving her.

She heard the door shut behind her and Sakura's eyes turned to Kakashi…

He was breathing normally again, while Rin was reading his heart rate with her chakra.

The humming of the energy flow from Rin echoed like the most perfect lullaby in Sakura's ears.

She felt her legs like jelly and couldn't help but collapse on the chair beside the bed on which some hours ago, she used to lie down.

Now Kakashi was lying there, finally sleeping in a peaceful state.

Sakura rubbed her forearms which ached from the countless hours of using them.

So much blood, so much pain, such a complicated and difficult procedure. She had never been through such concentration before. Her mind and thoughts had been focused for so many hours straight it had made her feel so sleepy, like she had been writing exams in the Academy for twenty four hours straight.

But all that mattered was the result, and in that case they did it…

He was fine…

Kakashi-sensei was fine, she thought intensively and stared at the clean white cloth that was wrapped around his head, covering his left eye, his Sharingan.

Sakura let another long sigh and noticed Rin looking down at her.

"How are you feeling, Sakura?" she asked her with a low tone, like she tried not to wake Kakashi up, something that wouldn't happen soon though.

"Exhausted, but happy!" she said truly.

Rin smiled slightly.

"I still can't believe it!" Rin said and walked towards the bathroom. She washed her hands for a whole minute and then stood by the window looking outside at the dawn reaching the village for one more day.

The warm red cloak started covering the vast forest surrounding Konoha and then the buildings, the streets, the hospital. Like the relief Nature brought for them as a gift for the hardest night they had gone through.

Sakura glanced at the warm colors painting the dark sky and shoving away the haunting night. She was listening to Kakashi's steady inhaling and exhaling and leaned her head on the wall behind her. Her eyelids felt so heavy, as did her entire body. The stabbings from her injuries hadn't stopped all night long, but she had managed to forget them. Now, though, as she relaxed her muscles the piercing pain returned gradually.

"Sakura!" Sakura hardly heard Rin calling her, before she fell asleep.

She lifted her head and looked up at Rin, her back towards her as she was still staring at the newly arisen Sun.

"I'd like to… ask for your advice, since you know Kakashi more than I do." Rin began. Sakura had to concentrate harder on Rin's voice as she was whispering.

She turned to face her, her loose, long brown hair glowing like copper on her shoulders.

Her eyes seemed to avoid Sakura's frowning stare.

Sakura felt a strange feeling as she repeated Rin's words to herself silently. She tried to read Rin's expression, which looked sad and perplexed.

"What happened today… it made me realize how much important Kakashi is still to me. How much I still… care about him." Rin said looking at sleeping Kakashi. Her eyes were sparkling under the first sunrays of the day.

Sakura had stopped breathing, staring speechless at Rin.

For some reason she wished Rin wouldn't continue talking. She even caught herself thinking intensively of getting up and leaving the room, before Rin went on with confessing to her.

Why did Rin-san had to tell _her_ of her feelings about Kakashi. Why her out of all people… especially now, after Sakura had given all she could in order to save him from near death. After more than five hours of attending his eye, his brain and his chakra network. After having to adjust her own eye-sight so that she could correct her sensei's genes and connecting the correct nerves from his eye to his brain in the middle of the night.

After she herself had realized how much important Kakashi was _to her_…

Of course she didn't like where Rin was taking this to, because it threatened to ruin the happiness that was blossoming inside of her ever since Kakashi's health had become stable.

Rin glanced at her, making sure Sakura was paying attention to her words, and then looked back to Kakashi.

"I can't leave him again. I could never do this to him again. I… want to stay in his life and keep him in mine! I want…!" Rin paused and let her teardrops slide on her smooth, red cheeks.

Sakura gasped silently when she remembered all the excuses she had made to herself in order to forget her attraction to Kakashi; his age, the fact that he was her sensei, _her _age and inexperience in the field of socializing with the opposite sex, and above all Rin's reappearance in Kakashi's life. How many times she had told herself that Kakashi liked real women, like Rin. She was his former teammate, one of the few persons who knew him when he was little, when he had first become a shinobi.

Rin definitely had a greater impact in Kakashi's life than she did. She was only his student and a good medic-nin, nothing else.

_Nothing more…_

Sakura couldn't handle anymore. If Rin continued, Sakura would lose her control and act in a way that would give out what she hold most secret.

She decided to end it as better as she could.

She stood up, feeling her legs numb.

Rin opened her mouth to speak, but Sakura signaled her to stop.

"Rin-san, I believe I'm the wrong person to consult in such matters. I do not know Kakashi-sensei more than you do. He's been my sensei for only three years, and back then I was too young and naïve to pay attention to my sensei's character the way you think I know him. If you need any advice, I suggest you talk to him yourself. Don't put me in this, because I would only mess your condition more! I… have to rest or else I'll faint! I hope I didn't disappoint you with my attitude, Rin-san!" she said, the words carefully slipping from her mind.

She tried to hide the tremble from her hands and forced a smile at Rin.

Rin stood motionless, looking at her with a frown of surprise.

Sakura grabbed her gown and left the room and the electrifying cloud that was about to crack in here.

That was close, she thought exhaling loudly.

She hated leaving Kakashi from her side, but everything would be ruined if she stayed and listened to Rin's confession.

That would be too much, she told herself.

Although she had just encouraged Rin to talk to Kakashi, once he was conscious again, she much preferred dealing with this then than having to face Rin and start a fight with her, or even cursing her, or, worse, revealing her own feelings about Kakashi.

For once I did a smart move, she thought and walked down the stairs, passing by people who stared at her. She didn't pay attention though.

Dressed in her long white gown over her cotton dress only, she passed by a shocked receptionist and walked outside the building.

The chill of the morning reached her bones and her insides making her shiver. But it made her feel so vibrant after this endless night. The clear air reached her nostrils and filled her lungs. Her brain woke up immediately with the fresh oxygen reaching her insides like an energy potion.

Such a relief, she thought and wished she was alone with Kakashi. She wanted so much to see his reaction once he saw his eye. Feel the change, and the absence of pain he had been feeling every time he used his Sharingan. She hoped he'd like it. She hadn't told it to anyone, not even Tsunade. Since Tsunade had given Sakura the full responsibility of correcting Kakashi's genes with the Uchihas', she had perfected it by adding one small, extra detail.

This is my gift to _you, _she thought thinking of her sensei.

"Sakura-chan!" she flinched hearing the unmistaken voice of her best friend and forever teammate.

The tall, blonde jonin ran towards her and beamed at her.

"What are you doing here? Isn't it too cold to stand with a simple dress outside? Come, let's get you in!" Naruto muttered and placed an arm over Sakura's shoulders and together they walked inside.

"Good morning to you too, Naruto-kun!' Sakura smiled at him.

Naruto looked at her with his sincere smile and laughed.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!" he said happily.

Sakura noticed a blush on his cheeks where once upon a time marks like whiskers used to be.

"Why were you outside? What kind of nurses are working in here, letting their patients wander around in the cold?" he asked loudly in purpose for every nurse to hear him. Killer looks turned at him from every direction in response.

"I came outside on my own!" Sakura said simply, Rin still in her mind.

"I guessed so! I heard about Kakashi-sensei! That's really great news!" he said not taking his arm away from Sakura.

"He'll be fine!" Sakura said and smiled, liking it to be under Naruto's warm hug.

"Of course he will! I mean, you saved him! There'd be no way you'd fail!" he said proudly and beamed at her.

Sakura chuckled.

"Thanks, Naruto!"

"I mean it! I wouldn't trust anyone else to do a surgery on me, and Kakashi-sensei would definitely agree with me!" Naruto said and they sat on a pair of sofas in the waiting area of the hospital.

Sakura tried to hide a satisfied smile.

She wondered if Naruto was right. Kakashi himself had once told her that he trusted her…

How beautiful these words sounded with his deep and so calm voice. She so wanted to hear him say these words again…

"Sakura-chan! Wear this, you're shaking!" Naruto gasped and offered her his jonin vest sitting next to her.

"I'm fine!"

"Oh, take it, please!" he insisted and almost forced her to wear it.

Sakura had to admit the vest was warm and she liked the thick material trapping the heat her body was radiating.

She touched it and felt the pockets and the high collar, the scrolls and hidden kunais in the pockets on her chest.

She would have to wear one as well once she'd become jonin.

Naruto leaned his elbows on his knees and looked at her.

"What is it?" he asked noticing the thoughtful look on her face.

"I…can't wait to become a jonin myself!" she said, although it was only the partial truth.

Thoughts of Madara Uchiha came back in her mind; the genjutsu she'd been through, him being after her, Kuroi's words, and the ever long haunting memory of Sasuke dying in her arms…

She looked at her hands shaking slightly.

"Uchiha Madara… he is after me!" she said in a low tone, so that only Naruto could hear her. He frowned.

"What?"

"He appeared one night in Tsunade's bedroom and he told her this. He is after me… for some damn reason he is after _me_!"

Naruto turned his body so that he could face Sakura completely.

"Why is he after you?" he asked shocked.

Sakura tightened the vest on her body hiding a shiver.

"I don't know… I try to reason his actions, but I can't. One of his accomplices, Kuroi, he appeared before Yamato-sensei and me during the mission of ours. He spoke to _me_! He told me that I had to know what really had happened the day the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the village eighteen years ago. That it wasn't Madara's fault and that there's a reason behind everything!" she told him, knowing that he deserved to know the truth.

She didn't like it being left outside, and so she didn't want to keep Naruto out of this either. He was her best friend, the last person that was connecting her to Sasuke…

She loved him and perhaps only he could help her.

Now that she remembered every detail from the genjutsu Madara had used on her, she felt somehow powerful knowing she had an advantage against him.

She had to find him…

And Naruto was the only one that could help her.

"Naruto, you promised me we would train together so that we can become stronger against Madara, right?" she asked him.

Naruto frowned with a questioning look.

"Of course I did! And we will!" he said, but seemed to have realized what she was thinking as he gasped silently.

"Why? What are you thinking, Sakura-chan?" he asked seriously.

Sakura didn't leave her eyes from his.

"I think I have a plan, Naruto, and you are the only one who can help me!"

"What plan?"

"I still need to process it! But I need to know if you're with me in this. It won't be easy, and since you're a jonin you'll know some tricks that'll be more than helpful. I need you to trust me on this. What say?" she waited for his reply.

Naruto looked deep in thoughts for a moment that made Sakura fear he might not back her up this time.

But suddenly he leaned closer to her in shock.

"You're not going to give yourself up, are you?" he growled, his fists on the sofa clenched.

Sakura lifted her eyebrows in surprise.

"And give him the pleasure of fulfilling his plan? Are you kidding me? No way! This has to do with the elimination of Uchiha Madara!" she whispered smiling at him, feeling like a ten-year-old planning her next trick.

Naruto's face immediately brightened and he smiled at her.

"Then there is no second thought to be done! I'm with you and I trust you!"

Sakura and Naruto linked their pinkies, like they did when they made promises to each other.

"For Team 7… and for Sasuke!" Sakura said.

"For Sasuke!" Naruto said and they shook their hands, their pinkies combined.

____________

The rest of the day passed by cheerfully for Sakura and Naruto.

They stayed in the waiting area of the hospital talking about their training that would start as soon as Sakura was done with returning back at Tsunade's home and meeting with the Elders, who wanted to interrogate her about the three years of her absence. This matter had lost its significance in Sakura's mind ever since so many other, more terrible things had occurred in the meantime.

Like Kakashi's threat of health…

It felt hard to avoid running up the stairs to the room where Kakashi was lying. She couldn't deny it that this happened mostly because of Rin-san being there with him, alone. But returning to this uncomfortable atmosphere she suddenly felt in Rin's presence was the last thing she wanted right now.

Naruto made her happy. She needn't anything else at the moment.

Only hearing to his voice and his cheerfulness in every word he said made her feel so confident each time. Looking through his eyes and witnessing the sincere force burning inside of him proved perfectly that, if you desire something very much, you can do anything. Anything at all.

She couldn't help but smile, remembering the first day Sasuke, Naruto and she had first met as Team 7. A sunny, warm afternoon, when Kakashi-sensei had asked them to tell something about themselves in front of the team.

Naruto had sounded so stupidly confident about being one day Hokage. And she could never remember him saying differently. This was his dream, his ultimate aim in life; to become Hokage.

Sakura knew well that there was something deeper behind it, something she had only realized the day of Sasuke's burial.

So many tears had appeared that day in her eyes she wondered from where they had all come from…

She looked up to this strong dedication and concentration of Naruto's on his dream, his purpose in life. She even envied him.

But somehow, gradually, she felt the air inside her fill her brain with many ideas. Ideas about a peaceful future and mostly her future as a kunoichi.

Ever since that day she had talked with Tsunade about being a jonin, a plan was starting to form in her head, dwelling almost permanently there. And only having a plan to work on made her feel strong and extra confident.

She had almost forgotten how beautiful it felt to have a dream and do your best in making it real…

The ecstatic sensation of knowing you have a reason for existing in this world, in this universe, in this lifetime…

So beautiful indeed…

"Sakura?" she heard Naruto whisper next to her, looking deep into her eyes.

Sakura looked back at him, feeling suddenly the world around her disappear as she got lost in the beauty of his smile.

"Wh-what is it?" she whispered back, surprised with the slight tremble in her voice.

"Do you…" he paused, blushing and looking suddenly away from her.

"What is it, Naruto?" Sakura wondered, feeling deep inside glad that Naruto looked away from her. She feared he'd so something she'd regret.

"Do you, ehm, often think of Sasuke?"

Sakura had to repeat the words in her head again to read the meaning in them, like her brain was suddenly turned off.

"I-I do…! Why are you asking this?"

It always felt strange to talk about Sasuke. Although it's been more than three years now that he had been taken from them, it still felt too much to even think of his name, let alone _talk _about it with someone. The time that had gone had made Sasuke's subject taboo, and it made Sakura feel all of a sudden horrible.

He wouldn't want that, feel ashamed to talk about him after his death. Besides it was only Naruto. He loved Sasuke as much as she did. Sasuke and Naruto shared a kind of friendship she'd never reach. They were brothers...

Sasuke had been Naruto's soulmate…

"It's just that…well, I know how you think of him and I… I just wanted to know if you still feel like this for him!" he said slowly, like he was thinking each word too carefully.

Sakura felt a chill down her spine under Naruto's jonin vest.

"Naruto, I… I cared about him, and I still do. But… Naruto, he's not here anymore!" she inhaled deeply, feeling tears burning in her eyes.

"Sasuke is gone, and although he's still really important to me, I try not to forget everyone else I have in my life! He's not the only important person in my life! There is you, Naruto! And now I care about _you_! I know that… I've been really cruel to you in the past, and I try to correct this now. I care about you, because you're… my teammate… my teammate and… you're always there for me! Whereas me… I wasn't! I just left you, I left everyone, because I had been weak!" Sakura wiped away a tickling tear from her warm cheeks.

"But I promise you that I've changed! I'm not weak anymore!"

"You've never been weak, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said in a deep tone.

Sakura chuckled behind a sob.

"Of course I have! I feared even when Kakashi-sensei would throw a single shurinken at me!"

Naruto laughed loudly and grabbed gently Sakura's hand.

"If what you say is right, that Madara is after you, then it means you're stronger than me, Sakura!"

Sakura missed a heartbeat realizing what Naruto had just said.

He was right… and she didn't like the idea of it.

"Then he knows nothing about me!" she said, not being able to believe that she was stronger than Naruto. Naruto had made the best improvement of them all. Even without the monstrous chakra lingering inside of him from the Nine-Tailed Fox, Naruto was still the strongest of their generation. She would never be able to catch up with him.

Naruto smirked with Sakura's modesty and they chuckled together.

Sakura hid her face in her palms, shoving away her tears.

"Let's go and see how Kakashi-sensei is doing. What say?"

Sakura lifted her head to look at Naruto, hardly fighting the urge of telling him about the other very important person in her life.

"Ok!" she muttered.

____________

Fortunately, Rin was not alone with Kakashi, as Chie had returned from Kakashi's apartment bringing with her fresh clothes for her mother. Sakura felt glad, not wanting to imagine what Rin would have done since she had left.

Rin told them with a cheerful smile that Kakashi was doing really well and congratulated Sakura once more.

Sakura tried to tell them quite a few times that they should let Kakashi rest, as it had become too crowded in the room. Naruto and Chie would joke with each other not listening to her, but Rin managed to persuade them. All four of them exited the room and stood there.

Naruto smiled at them happily.

"Hey, do you want to go to Ichiraku Ramen Bar?" he asked looking at each one of them.

"It's a good idea!" Chie shot hopping with a beaming smile on her face.

Rin and Sakura chuckled.

Sakura glanced uncomfortably at Rin.

"You two can go, but Sakura-san is not allowed to leave and I shall stay here to watch over Kakashi." Rin said in a serious tone.

Sakura observed her beautiful face. She tried to look for any signs of age on her, but found none. How grown up she looked when she talked in her motherly serious look, she thought. Could Kakashi-sensei really like her in such a way, she wondered. She was a grown-up woman, mature, experienced, and on top of that fit and attractive when she looked less like a mother.

A grip tightened around her stomach making her flinch with the twist of her thoughts.

"But Sakura-chan's fine! She could come, right?" Naruto complained with a frown.

Rin looked at Sakura. When their eyes met, Sakura gasped.

"Well, Tsunade-sama said she'd take me home today." She said in a low tone, avoiding Rin's look.

"Then it's better you wait here until she comes for you." Rin said in her usual gentle tone.

Suddenly, Sakura wanted to disobey and instead leave together with Naruto and Chie. The desire to make Rin mad lingered dangerously in her mind.

_What am I thinking…_

Finally, Naruto took Chie and they left Rin and Sakura alone in the corridor outside Kakashi's room.

And there they were, back to the start, the two of them in the hospital room, beside sleeping Kakashi.

Sakura felt the atmosphere in here so heavy it felt hard to breathe. She tried to think of her plan with Naruto in order not to think of crazy, irresponsible stuff, like Rin being with Kakashi, them making a family with Chie here in Konoha, and such.

This is probably the difference between an eighteen year old and a thirty-one year old, she was thinking staring outside the window at the midday above the village.

I worry about unimportant stuff, while she worries about him, she thought crossing her arms on her chest. I find a problem in the tiniest details, while she focuses on what really matters, which is him. Kakashi, his health and… his happiness.

If this way he is happy, who am I to stop it. I'm only his student, well… I'm not his student anymore, which makes us only … two people who are acquainted to each other.

That's all, she told to herself.

And this is how she would leave it. Her priority at the moment was to get back to shape, train with Naruto and apply her plan as soon as the circumstances let her to. Messing with Kakashi's and Rin's relationship was beyond her reach and powers. Being the third person in a relationship was too… pitiful.

She wanted to let it be, knowing this was for the best, but still… it felt too hard. She had the deepest desire to tell Kakashi everything. Just to let him know. There was no need to know what he thought of her, which she could imagine though. She just wanted to tell him, because it felt the right thing to do.

He had saved her, twice..

And he seemed to be always there for her. Whether he was in his ANBU uniform or not.

It felt like he was always there, even while she was trapped in another world, in the illusionary reality Madara had offered her.

Or was it all her imagination…

_Maybe…_

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Sakura flinched landing back on Earth.

She turned around and noticed a glance from Rin, who was sitting on the chair next to Kakashi's bed.

Shizune entered the room and smiled at them.

"Good morning! How are you?" she greeted.

Rin stood up and smiled back at Shizune.

"You must be Rin-san, if I'm not mistaken!" Shizune said and bowed slightly at her.

"Yes, I'm her!"

"My name is Shizune! Nice to meet you finally. Tsunade-sama has told me about you!" Shizune said, looking rather satisfied.

Sakura lifted an eyebrow.

Rin chuckled. Her face brightened.

Sakura glanced at Kakashi and imagined him holding instead of her Rin in his arms.

Her throat felt dry.

"I came to bring Sakura-chan back home." Shizune shot, drawing Sakura's attention.

"Oh! That's perfect! Can't wait to put on some real clothes!" Sakura mumbled and without second thought took the few stuff she had, like the clothes she had been wearing when she was mysteriously attacked, some of the presents her friends had brought her and, when Shizune and Rin weren't looking, she even grabbed Kakashi's _Icha Icha _novel, which he had left behind some days ago.

"Bye, Sakura! Take care!" Rin told her in a low tone, not wanting to wake Kakashi up.

Sakura used all her might to sound polite when she looked at her.

"You too! Bye!" she waved stupidly at Rin and shot one last worried glance at her sensei hoping he was dreaming something beautiful.

_____________

It was a gift from heavens, or this is how it felt that moment; the almost boiling water hitting her skin, soothing every cell of her body.

So many days, in the hospital, had been the worst concerning her body's attendance.

Although she never really gave much thought in looking beautiful, now she promised to herself to do something for it. The first step was to melt in the shower, until her skin caught fire.

The scent of fruity soap was so beautifully tempting and feeling her hair hardly reach her shoulders tickling.

Every worrying thought was erased for the half hour this shower lasted.

If Shizune hadn't called for her, she'd stay there longer. Even the sensation of fresh, warm clothes on her skin felt so soothing. Her injuries felt uncomfortable as they dried up on her skin, but Shizune helped her by putting some mending cream on them. Especially the cuts on her lower stomach were piercing her tremendously.

They didn't look as horrible though as the deep cuts on her cheeks.

She observed them on the foggy mirror and rubbed some mending cream on them too.

Sakura remembered Rin's beautiful smooth face, while hers was like a carved tree.

Her room, the kitchen, the living room, the medic-room of Tsunade's, it all was so familiar, Sakura felt like home.

But here… she was far away from Kakashi…

Rin is looking over him, she told herself finding it so silly not believing her own thoughts.

"Tsunade-sama told me of your meeting with the Elders. She said she'll come later in the evening accompanying them. She fears they'll ask strange things. It's weird!" Shizune said handing Sakura the wooden bottle with the semi-liquid mending cream.

"What is weird?" Sakura wondered.

"Well, the fact that the Elders have doubts about you. They must think you are Madara's spy or something, considering you were gone for three years, no one being in contact with you. They must think you want to avenge… for Sasuke. I just think it's really weird for them to doubt _you_. I was thinking… perhaps it has to do with their disapproval of Tsunade-sama's way of ruling, so they turn against her through you."

"You think this is it? They only want to press Tsunade-sama in doing something undeniable?" Sakura frowned, never having thought what had led to the decision of almost exiling her from Konoha.

Shizune nodded.

"Yeah, they are always in conflict with her! After every meeting, Tsunade returns mad! They must already press her a lot. So now they must have the perfect chance, as I'm sure they know what you mean to her."

"That's insane! They should really find something better to worry about! Tsunade-sama rules perfectly well the village. I know no single shinobi or kunoichi here who disapproves her methods. Except Denzo-san of course."

Shizune walked with Sakura to the kitchen and put some water to boil on the stove.

Sakura sat on the kitchen table.

"Denzo-san! I haven't thought of him in a long time. He lives in a small house to the south. He's accepted that Tsunade is not any coincidental component, and besides he's too old to rule now, so he turned into solitary life."

"Does he no longer control the Roots?" Sakura asked remembering the undercover team of elite shinobi who were trained in cruel methods and were taught never to show or let their feelings get in the way of their duty. They were shinobi who worked under Denzo's commands, with the aim to throw Tsunade off her throne as the Hokage.

Sai used to be a Root shinobi. He had been really scary in the beginning, when he was nothing more than a puppet fulfilling orders of Denzo.

Sai was the first one to abandon the Roots and turn against Denzo, and then many more followed. But it all had subsided during the threat of the Akatsuki.

"The Roots no longer exist. After the rebuilding of Konoha, Tsunade made an agreement with Denzo. She'd let him work for her, as a member of the Elder Council, but he'd stop training young chuunins with his inhumanly methods. He disagreed, so they fought."

"They what?" Sakura gasped.

Ever since she had returned, there had been little time to get updated with everything that had happened in the village in the three years of her absence. It felt good to know such things, as it would perhaps be helpful as soon as the Elders arrived.

"They had an official fight. Whoever wins takes the throne, that was the agreement. Everyone got mad about this. Many thought it too irresponsible from the Hokage herself to agree with something like this. But, as Naruto often says, the strongest one is the best to protect the village."

Shizune placed two porcelain cups in front of them and poured the hot water in them.

"But strength is only one of the factors that make a good shinobi. Everybody knows that!" Sakura argued.

"Do they?" Shizune asked with a smile placing some of her pitch black strands behind her ears.

Sakura frowned in question.

"Denzo-san is a classic example of a man who is addicted to power and control. Another one is the one we all hate these days. There are many people who think like this, Sakura. You should know this!"

"I do, but… "

"These people threaten the peace of the five Lands. These people are the ones who begin wars. Uchiha's accomplices are the same. Orochimaru was the same, the Akatsuki as well. Everybody has a story that follows him, or her, but in the end what they all seek is power and the sensation of achievement." Shizune said and sipped slowly from her tea.

"Then the Hokages belong to these people as well!" Sakura shot.

Shizune looked silent at Sakura for a long moment. Her lips curved as she slowly smiled.

"The Hokages are just strong shinobi, and kunoichi, who were good in their job and, then, were _given_ the power to rule. Which is not really true, as the Elders are superior to the Hokage. But… the Elders have taken the power, while the Hokage is _given_ the power by the majority of the shinobi and kunoichi of the village. You do remember that Tsunade never wanted to become Hokage. The Elders had sent Jiraya to persuade her. He never did, Naruto was the one to persuade her. But she never admits this!" Shizune chuckled.

Sakura sipped from her tea.

"Really?"

"Yes! Oh, I remember it like it was yesterday, the way Naruto was talking to her. That little kiddo! She had become so furious, that they decided to fight each other! Outside the bar, it was scary, but now I think of it… it was hilarious!"

Sakura and Shizune laughed.

"So, Tsunade beat Denzo?" she asked.

"No! It ended equally, but the Elders intervened and exiled Denzo and suspended Tsunade!"

"Huh?" Sakura gasped.

"Can they _suspend _the Hokage?"

"I don't know! But almost every shinobi and kunoichi disagreed of course. Jiraya, alongside with Nara-san, Kakashi-san, Yamanaka-san, Turo-san and many others, all of your friends, and of course Gai-san, they all paid the Elders a visit, and in a second Tsunade was back to her duties!"

"Wow, that sounds quite a rebellion!" Sakura commented imagining all of them, with Naruto and Jiraya leading, bursting into the Elders' mansion complaining and shouting at them. Even Kakashi was with them… that was something she'd love to have witnessed.

"Yeah, it was! It was the gossip of the next three months!"

They laughed.

"You know, Shizune-san, telling me all this won't really help me facing the Elders. Now I won't stop laughing imagining all this!" Sakura leaned her head on her palms feeling the small steam from her tea touching her palms gently.

Shizune chuckled and leaned back on her chair.

"Maybe we should organize a little rebellion for you as well!" Shizune joked.

Sakura always thought of Shizune as a quiet, logical person who would never choose such means of telling her mind. It looked strange, but it gave hope for Sakura, as time was ticking faster and faster.

The two of them joked even more about the Elders, making Sakura totally forget of Madara, of her stabbings all over her body as the mending cream did its work, of her sudden jealousy concerning Rin and Kakashi.

But time always moved on, it never turned back. And it never will…

The Elders would come, she would have to face Uchiha Madara sooner or later, she would have to face Kakashi again, she would have to stop hoping that Sasuke would appear in front of her one morning as she would wake up from this endless dream…

If there was a reason she stayed sane, it was thanks to those people that _kept_ her grounded, who were there for her.

Like Shizune was now, like Naruto was previously, like Chie is, like Tsunade is, like Kakashi is.

For them she would continue fighting…

**Man, i really like the next chapter and I can't wait to see what you think about it, so chapter 33 will come out tomorrow! yeah, that's a promise:)**

**unti then have a good day/night!**


	33. Motive

Sakura looked at her reflection on the mirror and observed the stitched scars on her cheeks.

The mending cream slowly did its work.

It no longer pierced her skin every time she moved her jaws, and the horrible colour started to subside and become less visible even after only a couple of hours of using the cream.

Tsunade had done a terrific job…

Sakura tried to smile, in order to test the flexibility of her skin on her carved cheeks.

The Elders would come any minute now…

Shizune had managed to lighten up her psychology, making her forget the grip around her stomach. But as time passed by the anxiety returned.

It'll be alright, she told herself.

Sakura used a brush to fix her hair, so that some strands hid her scars, but it didn't seem to work.

She sighed and leaned on the sink, suddenly her face closer to her reflection.

She looked into her eyes. The dark turquoise iris and the tiny veins, proof of her exhaustion from last night.

From the night which felt like a hundred years ago, when Tsunade, Rin and she had done the surgery on Kakashi's eye. She wondered if he was fine, if Rin was still there with him, watching over him, maybe even talking to him, as he was sleeping…

Would she have told him of her feelings, and most importantly would he have listened…

The grip tightened a little more around her stomach.

She noticed her reflection frowning at her.

Kakashi-sensei…

A man of multiple personalities, who still was nothing more than a human, just like her…

Sakura looked even deeper in her own eyes, suddenly travelling back to the hospital, in the room where this man was lying. She tried to see his face again in her mind, his eye… the look he had given her so many days ago, just after he had wrapped his arms around her…

Sakura let unwillingly a sigh and flickered, standing straight up.

How things change, she thought remembering the innocent days of her childhood when the only motive to move forward in her life was Sasuke…

Now her motives were greater, and Sasuke had faded into the darkest memories which she had hidden in the far end of her mind. His form was always there, but time had finally healed those scars.

The day she had decided to return to her home village, after three years being away, she feared Sasuke would return in her life like a haunting ghost. But returning back home, there where she had lived through so much, was the final drop of the healing potion.

The people she had left behind, the people she had almost forgotten helped her, soothed the pain.

And up to now, she had only been selfish as her motives were so self-centered.

But if there is this thing they call fate, Sakura believed that it had played tricky games with her. So all she had to do is find herself. Find who she was…

She would be selfish no more, because now her motive was different; to protect the people who cared about her, to protect the ones who are her home…

"_When you've discovered the real motive that keeps you fighting, the reason you won't give up in a battle, then you'll have achieved the greatest challenge to become a real shinobi!"_, Iruka-sensei had said when she was in the Academy.

"Then you'll have matured as a shinobi!" Sakura muttered to herself repeating her former teacher's words.

How stupid I've been, she smiled at her reflection noticing a slight blush on her face.

I'm no longer thirteen. I don't try to become stronger to be _liked_, I want to become stronger to protect them, and make this world a little better than it is, she thought.

There's no point in worrying about what Rin feels about Kakashi, or her own part in this complicated story.

There was one way of stopping these kind of thoughts messing with her judgement; to focus on the real motive. A real kunoichi must know how to suppress personal feelings emerging during planning and fighting on a mission.

And now her mission was to find Uchiha Madara and find out what he really was after.

Her attraction to her sensei was something personal, as were her memories of Sasuke, of her parents, or even her dream of becoming a jonin.

Sorting out her priorities, this is what she had to do.

So, Sakura nodded to her reflection and walked outside the bathroom determined.

_______________

The afternoon was giving its throne to the night steadily, as the sun had set and the last red and orange sunrays bid their farewell for another day.

Sakura was staring outside the huge windows of the living room, petting her fingernails on the skirt around her waist.

"Sakura! They have arrived!" Shizune said in a low tone staring out the window at the main entrance.

Sakura didn't move. Her body shivered as she tried to swallow all this unreasonable anxiety. There was nothing to be afraid of. She was guilty of nothing concerning the safety of her village. She would know if she was acting under Madara's orders, right?

How could I know, he always seems to be ten steps ahead of us, she corrected herself.

But the thoughts froze, as the door screeched.

Shizune quickly walked up to the entrance and opened the door wide revealing five old people stepping inside.

Sakura took a deep breath and turned around to face her interrogators.

The Elders took off their sandals and walked one after the other in the living-room where Sakura was.

The Elders looked at her, like vultures staring at their dying prey.

Sakura knew that respect was the highest virtue in the well-being of a society, and as these people who she had never actually met before were the head of their society, being at the same rank as the Hokage, she had to show them the greatest respect.

She had to win their trust.

So she bowed deeply and stayed there a bit longer than she usually did.

When she lifted her head again she noticed Tsunade standing behind them, looking at her concerned.

Sakura forced a reassuring look at her mentor.

"Haruno Sakura-san! We finally meet." a short old woman said with a trembling voice. Sakura tried to distinguish whether the woman was smiling at her or not.

"I have to admit it's a real exception to be coming here, _visiting _you. You should be coming to us, have a formal meeting, and a formal talk. It feels like we're doing a favour to the Hokage, and most of all a favour to you, my dear! Oh, time has become too heavy on my bones to be travelling around the village for such matters! Too heavy indeed!" the old woman muttered, her silky grey hair tied in a bun with a wooden stick.

"Koharu-san, let's get this over with, shall we?" the tallest old man said irritated, shooting a killer glance at Koharu.

Koharu didn't pay attention to the old man with the long, pitch-black hair and made a step forward.

"Tsunade-sama, please do not forget this!" Koharu went on bending her head a little towards Tsunade.

Tsunade made a bored, but insulted face as she replied to the Elder.

"Be sure that I won't, Utatane-sama!"

Sakura noticed Shizune look at Tsunade with a questioning look.

"Daisuke-san is perfectly right! Let's rest our bones on these beautiful cushions and begin with what we here came for." Another Elder said and made the first move to make himself comfortable.

The other four followed dragging their feet, but their eyes looked steady and alert all times, mostly on Sakura.

Sakura felt her heart beat a lot faster than what she planned to.

She had never felt such piercing looks on her, making her too aware of herself.

Were they staring at her scars, were they trying to find something that proved her guilt…

It was too uncomfortable, and it all went against this little plan she had prepared for this meeting.

The more she observed their faces, their movements, their stares, the more this little plan faded away.

Don't panic, _why panic_, she thought to herself.

Remember, you are not guilty of what they accuse you of, she said to herself again and again.

"Sakura-chan, I believe you know the reason we wanted to talk with you, am I right?" one of the Elders said. He looked the calmer of all five, and Sakura noticed that his eyes were the less uncomfortable to watch into.

That was soothing…

But Koharu immediately frowned in irritation, her wrinkles multiplying on her pale face.

"Do not lie, Homura-san! It feels like a poisonous needle pierced through my skin listening to false truths! We never intended to have this _talk_, as you say. Tsunade-sama insisted, insulting our judgement!"

"Koharu-san, we should act wisely. Konoha's safety is at stake. We would be too irresponsible considering our knowledge and experience on this field, if we acted without solid proof. Our decisions have always been based upon our greatest interest of the village. And our duty now is to continue acting this way. The way best suited for the well-being of the village. So, let's proceed as civilians and shinobi as we are!" Homura said crossing his fingers on his lap calmly.

Koharu made an irritated face, but surrendered to Homura's sayings.

Sakura guessed that this calm, old but clearly powerful man was the wisest of them all. His eyes were the most complicating ones she had ever seen, hidden behind thick glasses. She soon found herself lost in the dark green iris of his stare and the steadiness of his look caught her off guard.

Was this knowledge drawn in his stare, or was it simply one of the changes time left on people along with the wrinkles, Sakura wondered.

She couldn't be sure if Homura-sama was a person to like or not, but he was definitely a lot different than the other four of the Elders.

"Many alarming information have reached our ears, and they all concern you, Sakura-chan." Homura began.

Shizune came around and placed a disc with six cups with hot tea. The bitter scent of the herbs soothed Sakura's mind for a brief moment, before Homura went on.

"Tsunade-sama has been informing us about all that has occurred in Konoha recently. We've been always there behind her decisions, although it is not always clear to normal shinobi." Homura paused to take a sip from his tea.

Sakura grabbed the opportunity to drink as well.

"It is wide known that you are Tsunade-sama's apprentice and we know well the bond that connects you, but this will not cloud our opinion. At the moment, I'm talking on behalf of the Elder Council and we can be nothing more than extremely concerned and alert of all that is connecting _you_, Sakura-chan, and Uchiha Madara."

Sakura felt her throat dry as she remembered all that was indeed connecting her with this… murderer.

"It is wise that we are true, so I'd like to take this opportunity and explain to Sakura-chan what led us to believe what we believe." Daisuke said, the Elder with the long, black hair, probably the youngest of the five.

Homura nodded in agreement, whereas Koharu simply smirked behind her cup of tea.

Sakura noticed with the corner of her eye Tsunade and Shizune stand faraway in the kitchen in silence.

"It all started the day the Hokage abandoned the mission to search for you, with the excuse that she had intense visions of you. These were only rumours that reached our ears, so we hardly gave any notice to them. But later, more bizarre words came that added up and left us in wonder. But I'll be clear; a couple of days before this, the murders of genins began and the Hokage sent immediately a squad of ANBU shinobi to investigate the matter. The day of your return these shinobi were murdered. Then you are sent, along with three of the best-qualified shinobi of Konoha to investigate what the previous ANBU squad had failed to search. At the same time you encounter the known, loyal follower of Uchiha Madara, Kuroi, while another team of jonins is sent elsewhere to find the meaning behind the murders. They encounter Uchiha Madara himself, but he didn't kill anyone, _if _we agree Hyuga-san was not murdered as well. These matters made us wonder, Sakura-chan; how come Kuroi talked especially to you, and why did Uchiha Madara actually _come here_ just to warn the Hokage about you. All of a sudden, Sakura-chan, the evil that is threatening our home is connected to you…!" Daisuke let a silent sigh and kept his dark eyes fixed on Sakura's.

Sakura looked away, sinking in a dark place with no turning back.

_They were so right…_

"And let us not forget, my dear companions, the fact that Haruno-san was the only one to release herself on her own from Madara's genjutsu! This is outrageous!" Koharu shot loudly, placing with a bang her cup of tea on the wooden table.

Sakura flinched. Her hands shaking on her knees.

Homura glanced at Koharu next to him.

"No, I will no longer restrain myself when all I see is a little girl fooling us around! Everything point out clearly that there is some sort of involvement between _her_ and Uchiha Madara! It is perfectly clear why we want you out of our village! I am going to give _no_ excuses or explanations to a _chuunin_ who has abandoned her own home! It's unbelievable! Unbelievable!" Koharu yelled her voice trembling even more.

Sakura was frozen unable to look at the Elders. Unable to even move her fingers that were growing numb on her lap.

Suddenly all the world around her was collapsing. She had been so sure she'd make it through, but…everything was falling apart. The Elders' opinion about her seemed to have a much greater impact on her and now dragged her down an ocean of moving sand.

Sakura found it hard to breathe.

"Koharu-san, please be calm! There is no need to get nervous or restrain our poor brains with worries and anger, shall we?" an old man said, one of the two who had been silent up to now. His white hair was tied in a bun with a black ribbon that fell on his shoulders.

"I agree with you, Akitoshi-san! Koharu-san, please let us learn the truth from the person we are accusing of all this evil." Homura said calmly.

Koharu turned to look at him.

"Homura-san, we have argued about this a thousand times!" Koharu insisted.

"And we won't come to any end soon, unless we find another way out, so let us please hear the opposite part of the story. Let us hear Sakura-chan! There is nothing to lose, than time! And I do not believe time is something against us at the moment anyway. We have an entire evening awaiting! Don't you agree, my companions?" Homura continued looking at each one of the four Elders.

Sakura caught herself searching the Elders' expressions as well.

But the feeling she got from their looks was anything but promising.

Daisuke and Akitoshi nodded in agreement with Homura, but Koharu and the other elderly woman who seemed to be lost in another world stayed still.

Homura took a sip from his tea and looked at Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, as you see there is even conflict between us, and we used to be comrades once upon a time! The more time you spend with someone the more they start to get on your nerves!" Homura chuckled, as did Daisuke, but Sakura found it hard to reach the cheerful mood the two men had.

"Please enlighten us and tell us the reason you left!" Daisuke said.

Sakura looked in his eyes and tried to find the strength to explain herself. But everytime she thought of _that _reason, her heart ached.

_Sasuke…_

"I left because… I was afraid!" Sakura began. A deep pain pierced in her chest.

"When the Akatsuki attacked Konoha… I knew that it would be no normal fight. I knew it would be a battle like no other I've ever witnessed. And I had never been so scared before, because I simply… didn't trust my abilities. My teammates, they were there, strong, brave… filled with enough courage to fight a thousand Madaras! Whereas I… I was ordered to stay back so that I could attend those needed with my medical skills. Anyway, I defied the order when I saw a red light…

_______________

_All of a sudden, the continuous buzzing of screams, debris falling, echoes of chakra and cries of friends subsided as a loud bang stopped everything._

_Sakura turned around, her hands still healing Lee's injured chest, and tried to search the cause of this crushing sound._

_The sky was glowing with the colour of blood and Sakura missed a heartbeat noticing the source of this red light floating in the cloudy, smoky sky like a ruby._

"_Oh no!" she cried and quickly forced more chakra through her hands in order to heal Lee faster._

"_What's that?" Lee grunted looking at the same direction where the bright light came from._

_Another loud crushing sound echoed not far away from them._

"_Can you move?" Sakura asked Lee._

_Lee shoved away his strands from his eyes and looked satisfied at Sakura._

"_Yes, thank you, Sakura-chan!" _

_They stood up and turned to face the source of the red light soar through the clouds of smoke radiating from the fires that were burning all over Konoha. It disappeared behind a fallen building._

"_It's Naruto! I must go and find him!" Sakura said and jumped above the ruins passing by a group of injured jonins._

"_Wait, Sakura it's too dangerous! I'll come with you!" Lee shouted and followed her._

_Sakura kept her gaze fixed on the red light. Another blue light was now suppressing it._

_This was not good, Sakura thought._

_It felt too hard to breath with the thick smoke and she coughed._

"_Sakura-chan, wait up!" Lee cried and soon caught up with her._

I won't stay in the background when my friends are in the middle of the battle. I won't stand back like nothing's wrong, they need me… they need me…

"_Sakura-chan!" Lee shouted again and again, but Sakura couldn't hear him anymore._

_Her mind was stuck on the dearest memory she hold; the day Sasuke had returned, the day Team 7 was back together. She couldn't lose this again. Never…_

_Naruto and Sasuke had always protected her, they had always been there for her… now they needed her. And she wouldn't stand there attending everybody else, when the persons that needed her most where far away from her watch._

"_Sasuke, Naruto, I'm coming!" she told herself and she run as fast as her legs could hold._

_The lack of chakra had a great impact on her fitness. She had been healing shinobi for so long, and now it felt hard even to run. But that would not stop her. No way…_

_Sakura made a long jump and landed a bit clumsily on a roof. According to the position from the mountain with the faces of the Hokages she was in the east of the village._

_Here she could see the source of the bright red light._

_A monstrous ghost made of fire growled like a demon from within the core of the Earth there in the middle of a huge crater, right in the middle of the forest outside the walls of the village._

_Sakura shivered as she knew perfectly well that the red light was nothing more than chakra radiating from the fiery beast._

_The cold, threatening sensation reached her heart and made her limbs grow numb._

"_This-is-Naruto?" Lee gasped._

_Sakura had forgotten that he had followed her._

_Sakura turned her head to look at a group of five men standing on the far end of the crater looking down at Naruto._

_They all had orange hair and were dressed with black cloaks with the red clouds._

"_Oh no!"Sakura cried, her fists clenched on her sides._

"_NARUTO! NARUTO!" Sakura shouted with all her might._

_Sakura stared at the fiery beast, a strange human form which no longer bear any human characteristics. Instead, the eyes had grown into white nothingness and the mouth had widened unrevealing sharp teeth. The limbs were much longer, bigger analogically with the thin torso and the legs were the legs of a hunter. The skin seemed like it was caught on fire and five tails waved above it._

_The beast growled again staring at his enemy; the five Akatsuki members with the orange hair._

_This was the form of Naruto when the Nine-Tailed Fox took control over him. When the demon woke up inside of him, Naruto turned into an uncontrollable beast. This was the Jinchuuriki everybody in Konoha was afraid of._

_Sakura felt useless._

_She had to bring Naruto back to his normal self, or else… there was the danger that he'd hurt himself. _

_The more Naruto used the Tailed Demon's chakra, the more damage it'd do to his own body, resulting to the graduate destruction of his own human powers._

_The only one who could keep him under control was Yamato-sensei, who possessed the Earth element and could retrain the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra with a special Technique, which originated from the First Hokage._

_But, obviously, Yamato was not here now._

_And Sakura had to find a way of bringing Naruto back to his senses._

_She tried to search for Sasuke, but he was not around._

"_Lee, I need you to go and find Sasuke. You must bring him here, we have to save Naruto. Please go!" Sakura ordered Lee._

_He gave her a concerned look and nodded as he disappeared._

_Sakura looked back at the fiery beast. At Naruto._

_She took a deep breath and jumped towards the edge of the crater and ran down the slope, the air growing hotter._

_She felt the stare of the Akatsuki with the orange hair on her, but she didn't pay attention. As long as they didn't attack her, she wouldn't mind._

_Naruto was her priority._

_The alternate form of her friend turned slowly to look at her and gave a loud growl._

_The sound wave hit Sakura hard and sent her back to the other end of the crater. She hit the consolidated sediment and felt her heart stop beating._

_She gasped for breath and collapsed on the ground._

_As she lay low on her limbs, it felt suddenly easier to breath. The smoke had grown thick over their heads. But the beast didn't seem to mind._

_It only stared at her like she was in his way._

_Like she was nothing…_

"_Naruto!" she cried, feeling tears in her eyes that hurt with all the dust and smoke._

"_NARUTO STOP IT! YOU CAN DEFEAT HIM ON YOUR OWN, WITHOUT… THE DEMON! NARUTO, PLEASE!" she yelled, the echo of her own voice travelling around the crater._

_The Akatsuki with the orange hair was still staring at her, as the beast fell on his four legs and turned itself to face Sakura._

_Sakura gasped._

"_Naruto!"_

_The beast made a high jump in the air, its five tails dancing and the red glow of its chakra surrounding him like a cloak of flames._

_It landed a few feet away from her, making the atmosphere even heavier than it already was._

_Sakura gasped for clear air._

_The white eyes of the beast stared at her._

"_Naruto, I know you are there! Please listen to me, get out! GET OUT! Return to us! You don't need the Demon's power. You can defeat them on your own! I… believe in you!" the tears reached the ground beneath her trembling hands._

_Her fists grabbed the sand and let the grains fall back on the soil._

_The growl of the beast calmed down._

_Sakura looked up at the white eyes and swore she caught a glimpse of those bright blue eyes she was used to seeing every day._

_Her teammate's eyes, her friend's eyes. Naruto's eyes…_

_He was there, drowned by the damned Demon's power._

"_Naruto!" Sakura stood up and made a step towards the demon._

"_Naruto, I'm here! I'm here! Together we will fight them! I'll help you! We can do it! Please listen to my voice and trust me!"_

_The beast's eyes closed slightly and a flame flew out of its jaws._

"_SAKURA!" a voice called from the top of the crater._

_Sakura smiled slightly listening to her beloved teammate's voice calling her name. She loved it when he said her name…_

_In a moment, Sasuke landed beside her._

_The beast growled annoyed._

"_Naruto, we are here! Together we will defeat the Akatsuki! Remember… Team 7 is back together!" Sakura said proud and felt Sasuke's hand brush hers._

_Her heart beat faster and faster as she kept her gaze fixed on the beast's._

"_Naruto! It's me, Sasuke! Please come back! Come back to us!" Sasuke said calmly, his deep voice echoing above the beast's growl._

_Sakura noticed the tails of the beast reduce to number slowly, and the chakra flow in the area subsided._

_The air became a little clearer and the atmosphere lighter._

_But at that moment, Sakura saw the five Akatsuki members with the orange hair run towards their spot._

_Before Sakura could see Naruto's real face again, the beast was back on fire, growling and the earth beneath them quaked._

_The red light was bright again above Konoha._

"_Sakura, watch out!" Sasuke shouted and he pushed Sakura on the ground._

_Sakura closed her eyes and held her breathe as the quaking got rougher and a piercing growl of Naruto's reached her soul._

_She quickly jumped back on her feet when Sasuke let her to and they witnessed Naruto, now with six tails, attacking the five Akatsuki men._

_Sasuke and Sakura left the scene, when a blast wave threatened to burn them to ashes._

_Sakura glanced at Sasuke, a deep scar bleeding on his left forearm._

"_Sasuke, what shall we do? We can't let Naruto in this state more, it might kill him!" Sakura cried in an undertone._

_Sasuke frowned staring far towards the battle between Naruto and the five men with the black cloaks with the red clouds._

"_I know! What is the maximum number of tails you've seen him reach?" he asked in a low tone._

_Sakura rubbed her hands together._

"_Five. And he was in no good shape afterwards." She said in a grief voice._

"_We will need to draw the attention of Pain in order to bring Naruto back. As long as Pain fights Naruto, we can't calm the Tailed Demon down. So, we'll need all the help possible!"_

_Sakura nodded._

"_I'll go and call everyone I can!" she said, feeling excitement now Sasuke had appeared with a plan._

_But she looked at his grief face and saw pain._

"_Sasuke… are you alright?" she asked him worried._

_He glanced at her and gave her a reassuring smile, which made her heart flatter._

_The face she always loved, and the smile she always adored…_

_This is all she needed to give her enough courage to go on. And it did._

_Sasuke told her to go and find help and she did._

_She run as fast as the wind through the ruins, the debris and the permanent cloud of smoke and run into many people she knew._

_Soon, Shikamaru, Ino, Lee, Kurenai, Inoichi – Ino's father-, Hinata and Kiba with Akamaru were following her back to the east of the village where Naruto, still in his demon form with the six tails, was fighting at once against the five Akatsuki men with the orange hair._

_Sasuke was holding his katana which sparkled like a star in the darkness of the smoke. Although it was hardly afternoon it seemed like it was midnight._

_Sasuke looked at them and immediately ordered them to follow his directions._

"_Hinata, Lee and Sakura, I want you three to focus on Naruto. When we draw Pain away from him, try to get his attention. Sakura, only you can wake him up. We will fight Pain!" Sasuke said passionately._

"_AYE!" everyone shouted as one and the two groups divided running into the crater where another blast wave of red chakra hit the five Akatsuki men._

_Sakura, followed by Hinata and Lee, run from the back of the beast and waited until Sasuke and his team got in Naruto's and the Akatsuki men's way._

_Sakura missed a heartbeat when she observed Sasuke fly in the smoky air above the leader of the five men with the orange hair. His katana glowed in his hands as blue chakra radiated from the blade. From the ground, Kiba and Akamaru, alongside with Inoichi, Kurenai and Ino were attacking the other four orange-haired men. Shikamaru was standing a long way behind them. He was signaling a fast complicating jutsu which Sakura could not make out from that distance._

_She heard Hinata next to her gasp._

_Lee was standing in an attacking posture in front of the two girls._

"_I think now is the time!" Sakura said, when she saw all the five Akatsuki men occupied with fighting their friends._

"_Yes!" Lee cried excited._

_So, Hinata, Lee and Sakura run towards the fiery beast which was looking confused at the battle between his own opponents._

"_NARUTO! NARUTO!" Sakura shouted at the beast._

_It slowly turned around to look at Sakura, Hinata and Lee._

_Lee immediately stood on the front, always ready to attack._

"_Naruto, please come back to us! Fight with us! Fight with us to send away those monsters from our home! Please, Naruto!" Sakura cried._

"_N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata gasped next to her._

"_There is nothing more I want than my team to be safe, Naruto! Please, return! I cannot lose another teammate again! Not now… when we are back together. Now that we have each other again! Please return to me!" Sakura said, her voice trembling as she looked into the beast's eyes. Naruto was there… he must be._

_It let a growl and turned to face the sky._

"_Naruto, you can fight it! You can do it!" Lee shouted holding his hands in fists._

_The beast's growl calmed down._

_Sakura noticed Hinata walk towards the alternate form of Naruto holding her hand in front of her._

"_Hinata!" Sakura whispered, but the girl went on and she raised her hand towards the fiery beast._

_It looked down at her in wonder and lowered its face._

_Sakura was holding her breathe as Hinata was only inches to touch the beast with the glowing chakra._

_Hinata touched him and let a scream which pierced Sakura's ears making her lose contact with the world for a moment which lasted like eternity._

_She fell on the ground, Lee in front of her, as Hinata was screaming in pain. The beast was growling with her._

"_NO, NARUTO STOP IT! YOU'RE HURTING HER! NARUTOOO!" Sakura shouted, tears as hot as the sun burning on her cheeks._

_Hinata's voice faded away, the growl of the beast was covering every other sound and the Earth seemed to sympathize its anger._

_The quaking made Sakura fall back on the ground._

"_Sakura-chan!" she heard a voice next to her, but it felt too hard to listen to anything._

_She looked up to see Lee next her, blood flowing from his ears. As did from hers._

_Sakura searched quickly for Hinata. She was lying on the ground where she used to stand._

_But the beast was gone…_

"_Look!" Lee said, his voice ringing multiply in her ears._

_Sakura followed his finger which was pointing at the sky._

_There the beast was no longer just a beast, half human-half demon, as it no longer looked like a human used to be in its place. Now it had the form of a huge fox and its eyes were yellow slashes that glowed under the red cloak of its chakra._

_Sakura immediately tried to count the tails swinging behind it, and she counted them over and over again, not believing that they were nine… ._

"_No! No! It can't be!" she gasped._

_But the world seemed to fall apart when she noticed another flying creature above the fox. She tried to make out what it was, but all she could see were two huge hands that flapped like wings._

_The five Akatsuki men were nowhere to be seen._

What happened? How long have I been unconscious…

_Something's wrong…_

_How did Naruto reach the nine tails… how can I save him now?_

_Could it become worse, she wondered her eyes flickering from the fox to the other flying creature and to the thick clouds that had formed above them._

_Was this all a nightmare…_

_I hope it is… she wished to herself, but a thundering growl coming from the demon woke her up from her thoughts._

_The fox stood up to its hind legs and its tails crushed on the ground causing it to explode._

_The Nine-Tailed Fox had taken control over Naruto, Sakura thought intensively._

_She saw Lee running towards her, Hinata hanging unconscious from his shoulders._

"_How is she?" Sakura asked worried._

_Lee placed Hinata gently on the ground._

"_Don't know, you tell me!"_

_Sakura had never heard Lee so annoyed before. He even sounded angry._

_Sakura signaled and let her chakra flow from her hands to heal Hinata. But all she could read was inner damage in her chakra network. It seems the connection of Hinata with the Tailed Demon's chakra caused hers to go under black-out. But her vital organs had no serious damage, which was good._

"_Lee, please take her to the hospital wing in the caves. She needs special treatment."_

"_You will come, right?" Lee asked her with a frown._

_Sakura shook her head and stood up to look at the fox fighting the flying creature._

"_Sakura, there's nothing you can do here! You'll only get yourself killed! Please don't be…!"_

"_Lee, my comrades are here! I can't just let them here! They need me!"_

"_Sakura-chan! You saw what happened to Hinata-chan. This is not Naruto anymore!"_

"_Don't say that!" Sakura shot. "Don't ever say that again! Naruto is there, I know it! And Sasuke will help me bring him back!"_

_Lee looked at her amazed and gave her a proud smile._

"_As soon as Hinata-chan is safe I'll return with reinforcements. I'll be fast! These monsters won't bring the youth of Konoha down so easily!" he said and grabbed Hinata in his arms._

"_Be safe!" he told her with a glorious smile._

_Sakura felt better looking into her friend's sparkling eyes._

"_Be safe!" she told him back and he left._

_What was this feeling of grief and sorrow all of a sudden under her chest, she wondered._

_Sakura forgot about this strange feeling and run closer to the fox and the flying creature. Sasuke had to be there somewhere…_

_But he wasn't. The closer she got, the more she thought things wouldn't be the same anymore after this battle… if she would make it…_

_The fox had taken complete control over Naruto and the flying creature was soaring towards it screeching and making circles around it._

_It was strange to be a spectator in front of a battle of giants. Every time the fox touched the ground or the trees with its tails they would explode, and with each growl the earth shook. _

_The five Akatsuki men weren't there anymore, and Sakura had no sign from neither of her friends. Shikamaru, Ino, Kiba, they had all disappeared._

_She was alone, standing between ruins and dust, staring at the red fox and the flying creature with the glowing katana…_

Wait! The katana?

_Sakura had stopped breathing._

_The flying creature… was it Sasuke?_

_The world seized to exist and everything was spinning around her too fast._

_Sasuke had turned into a monster as well… how?_

_Sakura collapsed on her knees._

_Was he trying to save him, or were they fighting each other. It wasn't clear._

_The fox was definitely fighting. It was spitting flames from its throat, causing explosions with its tails, but the other creature… it was way smaller than the fox, and it was soaring through the sky holding the katana which was unmistakably Sasuke's._

_But it never made a direct hit at the fox._

_It has to be him…_

"_SASUKE!" Sakura shouted._

_The flying creature turned to look at her, and she caught a glimpse of Sasuke's eyes._

_It was him…_

_And he was trying to fight the demon that had taken over Naruto…_

_The fox growled, Sasuke screeched and they stroked into each other. A massive sphere made of red and blue chakra lit up the entire country and for a moment the sky was blue again, the smoke had disappeared and the grass was green._

_But the wave of chakra burnt everything down and the blast hit everyone on its path…_

_Nothing stood no more…_

_The air was dry, the eyes ached and the heart pierced in the chest…_

________________

There was nothing else Sakura could remember from that dreadful night… only what followed when she woke up. When Kizame was holding her from her neck. When she fought him with all her powers left, and when she found her two beloved comrades lying unconscious on the ground…

Sakura fell silent and drowned in her tears. Her hands moved instinctively to hide her face.

The moving sand had taken her down into the abyss of hell, where nightmares were reality and dreams were too precious to even think about.

It felt so heavy in the heart, that she wondered how she was still breathing, still existing in this world. In a world where she was always in pain…

"I left because I couldn't face anyone… all I was thinking of was… was Sasuke! Sasuke and my failure as a kunoichi! My duty was to protect them… and I failed!" she let a sob and gasped for air behind her hands.

"_I failed…!_"

"Sakura-chan!" Sakura heard Homura's deep voice next to her. She felt an arm curling around her back. She didn't mind whose it was, she simply let herself hide there and cry.

"Take deep breathes! Shhh!" Homura calmed her down.

Sakura followed his advice. It felt too embarrassing to collapse like this in front of the Elders.

"F-forgive me!" Sakura gasped and dried the tears with her hands from her warm face.

"I'm sorry!"

"Don't be! It is logical to be upset. I would be upset as well after all that had happened. I have lost a comrade as well… many have. And it is the worst pain a shinobi has to endure. This is the reason I focus on my hometown's safety more than my own. I do not mind what happens to me, as long Konoha is safe. Do not turn into anger. Do not let it consume your soul. You'll only end up hurting the ones left behind and the ones that are no longer here… . Sakura-chan, look at me!" Homura said calmly and lifted Sakura's head with his fingers.

Sakura looked into his greenish eyes.

Into the calm of his stare and the soothing melody of his voice.

"Never forget that you have people left behind who care about you… remember them and you'll never forget who you are!" he said.

Sakura felt another tear glide on her scarred cheek.

_Who I am…_

"You have to believe me, I never ever met Madara the time I was gone. I've never even met him in my life! And I would never work with someone who was the cause of my team's destruction… _never_!" her voice filled with anger.

Koharu, Daisuke, Akitoshi and the fourth elder woman were looking at her with worried looks, still and silent on the floor.

"It was stupidly foolish of us to believe you were Uchiha Madara's spy, Sakura-chan! Please forgive me for misjudging you!" Akitoshi said and bowed at her.

Sakura noticed a glimpse of hesitation in Koharu's expression.

But she didn't mind. All the memories of that day had made her insides grow so numb that she was unable to judge or criticize, to even think of simple things.

How much she loved Sasuke, how much she loved Naruto…

Homura was right; why get angry and furious about the past, when she had to work in order to build a better future for her home, her friends and family. It would only destroy her…

All she had to do was to become even stronger. To exceed her own limitations and become the best for the people that cared about her… they were her home…

The Elders stayed a while longer and discussed with Tsunade and Shizune, as Sakura was sitting silent with them thinking of these words Homura had told her. But the memory of the battle between Naruto and Sasuke three years ago was still occurring behind her eyelids every time she blinked… the fox and the flying creature…

And then Kuroi's words echoed once more in her mind.

"Excuse me, Homura-sama! There is… something I would like to ask you. Maybe you would know. I was wondering about what happened the day the Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed inside Naruto."

Silence fell.

All eyes in the living-room were staring at Sakura, some in wonder, some surprised. Only Tsunade and Koharu were staring at her with a glimpse of fear in their eyes.

"Why do you want to know, Sakura-chan?" Homura wondered.

Sakura looked away from his intense stare and hesitated to speak. Should she tell the truth, or should she hide her true intensions. She was never good at lying, and it felt best not to. She had to trust them.

"The day Kuroi appeared before Yamato-sensei and me, he told us about that incident and Madara's part in it. He had said that the story we know is… false, and the way he said it, it… I think there was some kind of truth behind his words. I know no details of that night, and I believe there is something in the story that might be linked with Madara. Something… important!" she said and looked at each one of them.

Tsunade wore a serious frown, as she knew perfectly well of what she was talking about.

Homura and the other Elders exchanged questioning looks.

"We were told the details of this _conversation_." Daisuke said, lifting his thick eyebrows.

"Sakura-chan, do not forget that Uchiha Madara is no normal shinobi. He has lived long, even longer than us and he will be cooperating with other shinobi like no other! So, we cannot but expect that this Kuroi will be exceptional in deception as well. This is an art all shinobi are taught, but only a few truly manage to possess." Homura continued.

Sakura frowned.

"I believe you remember all those lessons about that art." Daisuke asked Sakura.

Sakura nodded, remembering the countless times Iruka-sensei had them do exercises in deception, or the training hours with Kakashi of how to trick each other…

"If you're a master of genjutsu, it's much easier to deceive someone else. Genjutsu is the art of controlling someone else by using illusions. The best chakra control and the biggest chakra capacity a shinobi possesses, the more _real _these illusions will be, resulting to the inability of the casted person to be released. So, we can only guess Uchiha Madara might be the best shinobi, only because he masters the art of deception." Daisuke went on, sounding just like Iruka, only less nervous.

"So, Kuroi has to be that good as well?" Sakura asked what she guessed Daisuke implied.

"Well, not equally good, but a man like Madara won't be working with random shinobi. We know Kuroi to be a member of the military forces of the Land of Snow. There's been made a profile and some research in the Bingo book and files of Konoha. The few information gathered showed that this man is no normal shinobi. He controls four elements and has served long as a secret mercenary for many rich lords in the Northern Lands." Daisuke said.

Sakura would never forget the intense look of that red-haired man with the tattoo on his cheek. The eager, but so calm expression and his deep voice that caught her unguarded.

"Is there some connection with him and Madara?" Sakura asked.

Daisuke glanced at Tsunade.

"There's an investigation going on as we speak. We know not." He finally said taking a sip from his tea.

Shizune came silently and poured some more warm tea in their cups.

"So… you believe Kuroi was playing with us about that story." Sakura said slowly, fearing that her doubt would insult them.

"About what happened eighteen years ago? Yes, we were there. We participated, we were there behind the Fourth Hokage's decisions, although the last one was his own and only." Akitoshi said this time, his face grief.

"The Fourth Hokage defeated the Nine-Tailed Fox, although it led to his death, but there is nothing strange around this story. Of course there are still many questions considering the past, but not all can be answered." Daisuke continued crossing his fingers on his lap.

"But what if Madara is somehow linked wi-!"

"Tsunade-sama, tell us what you know happened that night, so that you can calm your dear student's worries!" Koharu suddenly shot, glancing at Tsunade and then at Sakura.

Sakura frowned at the scary look of the Elder.

"She knows the story." Tsunade said simply.

"So, why does she believe our enemy's accomplice's words, rather than yours?"

Koharu and Tsunade exchanged killer glances, and in the far end Homura's chuckle echoed in the silent living-room.

"You forget, my dear companions, the reason we're here. We didn't come to teach Haruno-san the history of our village, but to find out her relationship with the founder of the Uchiha clan." The second woman said, not looking at neither of them, just turning her cup in her hands.

Sakura noticed a smirk on Koharu's wrinkled face.

Homura sighed and turned to look at Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama, the tea is splendid!" he said with a happy smile.

Sakura wondered why was it that only the men of the Elder Council showed cheerful emotions.

Tsunade turned her head towards Shizune who was sitting next to her, blushing.

"It comes from Shizune-san's herbs!" Tsunade replied calmly, obviously satisfied that Homura had been so indifferent to his companion's comments.

Sakura hid a smile behind her palm.

"Really? That is a secret I have to know, so if, Shizune-san, you do not mind, I'd like to know this secret of yours!" Homura went on sipping with pleasure from his tea.

Shizune blushed even more and smiled at the Elder.

"Of course!" she mumbled, but Koharu's irritation echoed above Shizune's shy voice.

"Homura-san, shall we proceed with the real matter here?"

"Oh, why rush! We're invited in a beautiful house, and we're being attended like honourable guests, so why should we be rude in front of such politeness?" Homura answered as calm as ever.

"Because this politeness is a way of making a bad influence on your judgement!" Homura argued.

"As long as I remember Homura-san, he has always been like this, Koharu-san, so there's no point in trying to change his attitude now!" Daisuke said in place of Homura.

Sakura stared at each one of the Elders speechless.

"Time has become too heavy upon us to change who we are now, right Amaya-san?" Homura muttered and glanced at the second woman who was looking at the big window behind Sakura.

For the first time she managed to observe the Elder's eyes, which had a deep purple colour and seemed so… sad.

The woman had long silver hair that hid her face as she was looking mostly at her hands and her cup of tea, but her face was rather young. Sakura felt a strange air radiating from her, like this woman was in a world where she actually didn't really belong. Like someone forced her to be here…

Sakura frowned and flickered when she realized that she had been staring at Amaya in a too indiscreet way.

"I believe our reason to accuse Sakura-chan was insubstantial."Homura said and fixed the glasses on his nose.

"Where do you base this decision of yours, when yesterday you had agreed to exile this chuunin from Konoha?" Koharu asked in an ironic tone.

"I never said I agreed with this decision, and I do have a reason I say this. But what happened, happened. Now all I see is a young kunoichi who has been involved in a plan too great for her herself to realize. This young lady is a victim in this story, just like we are!"

"So all we talked about deception is nothing but a cloud in the wind?" Koharu asked, now her voice trembling with anger.

"It seems like we are acting like clouds in the wind, simply believing the first idea that appears, not wanting to rest our minds too much by searching the real truth! We've become too… old!" Akitoshi commented, sounding like he was speaking mostly to his own self, his eyes on the wooden floor.

Homura chuckled.

"Even _if _Sakura-chan is deceiving us all this time, do you believe she'd continue sitting here with us, talking with us, just pretending she hurts when the past clouds her mind? It all sounds too much for an eighteen year-old to manage. Unless of course you believe that five old persons with more than four decades of experience and a Hokage and a jonin with exceptional skills in medical ninjutsu are incapable of spotting a young lady who plays with our minds all this time!" Homura said calmly.

"That would be a perfect timing for you, Sakura-chan, to attack and get rid of us! The moment your opponent shows his weakness!" he continued in an undertone and glanced at Sakura with a cunning smile.

Sakura heard Homura's voice in her head again and again.

_The moment your opponent shows his weakness…_

Of course, she thought.

Up to now, all they did was try to _find _Madara's weaknesses, when they had been there all this time…

All this time… and they had been blind by fear.

Sakura looked down at her hands and felt the stings on all her scars on her body.

Madara had appeared before Naruto's and Shikamaru's team, whereas three ANBU shinobi, men the Hokage trusted, had gone towards the other way. Madara surely knew, but he had only send Kuroi. They never saw Madara… . And then he paid a visit at Tsunade and warned her to watch over _her_… . Madara had never appeared before her, when all indicated that he _was_ after her…

Could it be that Madara was actually _afraid _of facing her…

Sakura brushed her fingers through her hair.

A strange feeling of coldness and uncertainty grew inside of her. But somehow her thoughts seemed to follow a perfectly logical road.

So… if her conclusion was right, was Kuroi only sent to meet her to evaluate her for his master?

But, most importantly, _why _could Madara possibly be afraid of her…

She held no secret powers, there was no Tailed Demon sealed inside of her, she belonged to no powerful clan.

She was just a simple kunoichi with no mother, a sick father and a bunch of friends who were the reason she continued fighting in life. She was average in strength and still a chuunin. The only thing she was really good at was medical ninjutsu…

"Sakura! Sakura, are you alright?" Tsunade whispered next to her looking worried.

Sakura looked at her mentor, who was suddenly kneeling beside her, and witnessed the eyes of them all looking at her, even Amaya's.

"Ehm, yes! Yes!" she muttered.

"I feel bad for bringing all our arguments here along. It's really rude from our behalf!" Homura said and stood up from the cushion placing his cup of tea back on the table.

"I believe it's time we leave." Daisuke followed Homura's example.

"We will inform you, Tsunade-sama, tomorrow of our decision. There is some more talking that has to be done." Homura assured Tsunade who stood up as well.

Sakura looked at them with a blank expression and watched as the Elders greeted Tsunade and Shizune. Finally, they all turned to Sakura, except Koharu.

"We hope you think over our discussion again, Sakura-chan. Trust is a virtue a shinobi has to leave behind. But we are also humans, so do not give up on what you hold dearest!" Homura told her.

He walked slowly towards her and looked deep in her eyes.

"Sakura-chan, I hope you do not take all these assumptions of a bunch of old shinobi seriously! I personally would like to assure you that this village will always be your home…! That is all!" Homura said and bowed slightly.

Sakura noticed a smile on his face before he turned around to his companions.

"Have a good night!" Shizune said.

"Bye!"

Tsunade closed the door and the two women turned around to face Sakura.

Sakura couldn't fight a glorious smile at them, as Homura's last words rang once more in her ears.

The following evening turned out rather joyful, as Tsunade, Shizune and Sakura spent some time discussing over the Elders' sayings, and Tsunade began gossiping about them. The Elders and Tsunade had no good relationship, so Tsunade seemed to take advantage of Sakura's good mood and made a fool out of them.

Sakura, on the other hand, felt to have liked the three men, especially Homura.

But the one person she could not forget was this elder called Amaya.

She had never met her before, she could never remember her face, but before she managed to ask about this enigmatic Elder, Tsunade left to go to the Hokage tower again, as Shizune and she went to rest.

Sakura had a hard time sleeping.

Many things travelled in her mind.

Kakashi, Sasuke, her plan with Naruto, Madara…

Madara… was he really afraid of her…

Was this his weakness.

The shadows danced gracefully on the ceiling, following the leaves from the trees outside the window that swayed to the rhythm of the wind.

Such little powers of Nature caused such strong movements…

Could really an eighteen year-old kunoichi, with medical skills be a threat to the strongest living shinobi of the five great Shinobi Lands…

A sigh left her half open lips, and a stronger breeze forced the leaves sway rougher. Sakura observed as some leaves had been too weak and were cut from the main branch and vanished into the wind.

Could it be…

Maybe…

Maybe, and her eyes closed.

__

**Madara-he's such a strange character- i still can't say if i like him or not. i remember as i was first writing this story, the first bad guy that popped into my mind was him- the second one was Kabuto! for some reason i really hate this guy though so i couldn't just have him as a lead character, lol! but Madara is just something else... i must discover what that is...!**

**Thank you so much for reading :) until next time...**


	34. Voices

A swarm of sparrows soared through the branches of the cherry trees and landed on the grass searching for food. When Sakura made a step towards them they disappeared back into the air.

She looked up at them and took a deep breath.

What a beautiful morning.

She brushed her hair backwards and fixed her ninja badge.

Sakura felt this relieving sensation of being lighter, thinking that in a way her meeting with the Elders last night had gone quite good. Especially considering that Homura-sama himself had assured her that they would definitely not exile her. If that happened, she would have nowhere to return to. It would be like her own people didn't trust her. And now in all times, that was what she needed.

Madara was obviously after _her._

So, it was up to her to fight this fight.

Sakura hastened her pace through the big garden in the entrance of Tsunade's and Shizune's mansion and ran to go and find Naruto.

When she walked through the large wooden gate, she bumped into someone and lost her balance falling on the ground.

But somehow she never hit the ground.

A warm hand had caught her forearm and helped her stand up.

Sakura grunted as this sudden movement of her body caused all her scars to pierce through her nerves again.

"Are you alright?" Naruto said in concern.

Sakura couldn't fight a smile as she saw his sparkling blue eyes staring at her with a cunning smile.

"Hey, Naruto!"

"You should be more alert, Sakura-chan! Remember who's after you!" he teased her.

Sakura made a step backwards so that Naruto would let go of her.

For some reason she felt uncomfortable under this strange stare of his.

"I thought we'd meet in the training field." She asked wanting so much to change this weird moment.

"Yeah, well it's occupied for the time-being, so I came to tell you to go somewhere else. Why don't we go to Kiba's team's training field?"

Sakura looked down at her feet.

"No, it's too close to the Academy, and I don't want to risk having people passing by every now and then. We could… we could go to the mountain. Yes, I guess no one will disturb us there."

"You haven't forgotten that all times a bunch of ANBU are looking over you, right?" Naruto said looking around with his eyes.

"They don't disturb. At least not for now! Besides, they never come too close to me. It's more effective when no one knows that they're there and that way they can have a better perspective of my surroundings. And… it'd be foolish to get rid of them."

"But…"

"Don't worry, Naruto! For now, we have to make a plan, then we'll worry about them. Let's go!" Sakura said seriously and together they jumped up the trees and ran towards the north where the mountain with the faces of the five Hokages stood.

_______________

Amaya kneeled down on the cushion between Akitoshi and Koharu.

She showed them the scroll she was talking about.

The Elder Council had gathered inside a great chamber in the Hokage tower.

Small windows close to the ceiling were the only sources of sunlight in the round room. Candles lit on the low table in the circle the Elders made and the intense atmosphere between them grew even more uncomfortable as Amaya spoke.

Her hoarse voice sounded louder in the almost empty chamber.

"This is what I found about the Haruno family's past." She said and unrolled the scroll dropping two candles on the floor.

Daisuke lifted them calmly and placed them back on the table shooting Amaya an irritated glance.

"Haruno Sakura's father came to the village twenty-four years ago. There seems to be no information about his past. According to the files held about all the immigrants that came during that time, he was considered to be one of them."

"But he's not?" Akitoshi asked with a surprise in his tone.

"No. Although he became a Konoha citizen along with a two dozen more newcomers, this Haruno Yasuhiro was no immigrant. There seems to be a Haruno clan originating from the Land of Snow. There was never before a Haruno in Konoha." Amaya replied simply.

"Do you imply that Haruno-san didn't come due to the political and economic issues that hit the Northern Lands of that time?" Homura asked with a frown. He inhaled deeply from his pipe and released a cloud of dark smoke above them.

"Read this!" Amaya said and pointed at the symbols on the scroll.

"_Haruno_ Yasushi used to be the leader of the Land of Snow?" Akitoshi wondered loudly, not believing what he read.

"Well, not exactly the Land of Snow, but during that time it was known as the Land of Spring. About four centuries ago, this land in the north was the first organized and politically stable nation. Haruno Yasushi was the first who led the country and his clan was respected from the people, as their land had finally got independent from tyrants, and the non-shinobi had finally rights in the society. He even formed a ruling body of simple people who always had an opinion when it came to important matters concerning the running of their Land. The Land of Spring became strong, thrived for long. But then road shinobi entered using force and brought the Haruno clan down." Amaya informed them with a blank expression.

The Elders stared at her.

"How come we never heard of this before, Amaya-san?" Homura asked, sounding suspicious.

"You have to trust me, companions. A trustworthy shinobi and friend of mine found this information. Now, the Land of Snow is standing on its feet again, but it will never reach the peak of four centuries ago. After the Harunos fell, different arrogant and selfish tyrants ruled the Land of Snow. Many documents, scrolls and books were burnt in order to destroy any proof of the power the simple people of the land once had. Shinobi took over it and did a great job of suppressing any rights the people had."

"This is…!" Daisuke began but fell into deep thoughts.

"Yes, it's shocking!" Akitoshi completed Daisuke's sentence and moved his head right and left. A cracking sound from his neck echoed in the stillness of the chamber.

"So, Amaya-san, what is your theory then?" Homura said after taking another sip from his pipe. Daisuke next to him coughed with the thick smoke waving the poisoned air out from his face.

"Excuse me, Daisuke-san!" he muttered sincerely.

"I already know _your _cause of death, Homura-san!" the dark haired man laughed glancing at him with the corner of his eyes.

Koharu smirked.

"I often wonder what your real age is, companions!" Koharu commented hiding her hands in her kimono's sleeves.

Amaya looked at them with a too calm expression, her eyes gazing beyond the visible details of this world.

"Excuse us, companions!" Daisuke said with a bow, a sunray reflected on his silky black hair.

"Please proceed Amaya-san." Homura said in a calm tone.

"I believe my theory is clear." She responded crossing her fingers on her lap.

"Alright! We'll play the game of guesses! I haven't played it in a long time!" Homura said happily and placed his pipe on the table smoking on its own along with the candles.

"I play it every single day, trying to see what on earth is in your rusted minds!" Koharu said, wearing as always her irritated-with-the-whole-world expression.

"Oh, do not be so pessimistic, Koharu-san! So… we told Amaya-san to follow her instinct about Haruno-chan, and so she did. Now, Amaya-san, you did find some very interesting information about Haruno-chan's family. I personally have never met any of her parents. But it seems she is a descendant of an important clan. A clan which possibly held secrets like every other. Oh, yes! Your theory is crystal clear, Amaya-san! You believe the girl holds the secrets of her clan and Uchiha Madara is after her for that reason." Homura concluded and gave a proud smile at the expressionless woman.

"Precisely!" she muttered, her voice sounding ironic with the behavior of her companions.

"This little, clueless chuunin is the descendant of such an important clan? It's ridiculous!" Koharu burst almost jumping from the cushion.

"If we trust Amaya-san's accomplice, then it makes perfect sense why Uchiha is after her so madly." Daisuke tried to reason everyone's accusations farther.

"Really? Does this girl _look _like the descendant of a clan of leaders? Last night she burst to tears for a battle and for her teammate's death! She abandoned her home because she was too weak to handle it! It all states how weak and irresponsible she is. Just because the Hokage gives her so much attention means nothing. She is a child of simple farmers. Nothing more!" Koharu argued her voice trembling.

"Anybody would react this way in front of his teammate's death." Daisuke stated with a grief look.

"A shinobi shows no emotion, my companions! It's the way of revealing to your enemy your weaknesses."

"You're right, Koharu-san. But these emotions give us the courage to not give up, to go on fighting, to stand our ground." Homura spoke this time.

A long moment of silence followed, only deep sighs echoed.

"Do not argue about the main principals that keep the shinobi the strongest force in the Five Lands! The problem is obviously my accomplice. So, if you do not trust these documents, there is only one person who might know about the Haruno clan's existence." Amaya said and rolled the scroll back.

"Whom are you talking about?" Homura asked taking a long sip from his pipe.

Amaya observed how the thick smoke swirled like serpents above their heads and slowly faded away towards the small windows around the spacious chamber.

"Haruno Sakura-san has still a living father. As far as I know, he's sick staying in a sanitarium by the sea." She said.

Homura, Daisuke and Akitoshi looked at each other, communicating with their eyes.

"This is an opportunity to learn about the girl's past. See what kind of person she really is." Koharu said, changing the position of her hands.

"Great, Amaya-san, Koharu-san, go and speak to Sakura-chan's father. If we learn about Sakura's family's past, we might get closer to what that is Uchiha is so desperately after." Homura said and stood up from the floor.

The other four Elders stood up as well and bowed all at the same moment.

______________

The view from the mountain with the faces of the Five Hokages was breathtaking.

The graduate change of tints of blue was beautifully clear on the morning sky, with the lighter blue touching the green horizon of the woods that surrounded Konoha.

The breeze up here was rather chilly, but not unwelcome.

Sakura lost her row of thinking for a long, wonderful moment and enjoyed the warmth of the sun, the freshness of the new day and the power that flowed through her body. If only things could stay like this forever, no worries inside her head, no pain inside her chest.

Just peace and quiet…

Suddenly she heard Naruto's steps on the dirt.

He stood silent next to her.

"How long have you been a jonin?" Sakura asked and imagined Tsunade telling her proudly that she had succeeded in the jonins' entrance exams.

Naruto beamed at her.

"Five months! I took the exams three times!"

"Huh? Three times?" Sakura couldn't fight the shocking tone of her voice.

Naruto only chuckled.

"Yeah, it has nothing to do with the chuunin's exams, be sure about that! But Anko said that the exams change every year, so mine won't be as yours!"

"What do you mean? Don't we have to fight others, or complete missions?" Sakura wondered.

"Well… it's more complicated than that! You'll see Sakura-chan! You'll make it! Shikamaru had succeeded with the first time, and you are smarter than him! You'll be a great jonin!" Naruto looked far away and Sakura noticed how his chest widened as he let a sigh.

"He'd become the best of us all!" Naruto muttered.

Sakura felt her whole world fall into darkness.

A silent darkness where her wishes had flesh and bones, and her feelings never touched the bottom.

"Yeah… he would!" Sakura said after a long moment.

Team 7 would be now a team of grown-up jonins, and Kakashi-sensei would be the captain. Together they would be attending S-rank missions, the hardest missions, the most dangerous ones. And she would be their medic-nin.

What a beautiful dream…

"D' you think he'd ever become a sensei?" Naruto wondered out loud.

Sakura noticed how his face never seemed to be sad, unlike hers.

"Sasuke… be a sensei?" Sakura chuckled, not sure what sounded that funny; the fact that they talked about Sasuke like he was alive somewhere, or the fact that her eyes were about to flood with tears, again.

"Yeah, I think he'd make a terrific sensei!" Naruto said proudly.

"What about you?"

"What?"

"Have you… considered of becoming a sensei one day… like Kakashi-sensei?"

Naruto widened his smile even more and let a deep chuckle.

The black ribbon that held his Konoha badge around his forehead swirled around his neck.

"Maybe! It does sound like fun!" he placed his hands on his hips.

"Well, it's much more than that, Naruto. It's a great responsibility!"

"Yeah, but until then it's a long time ahead. You have to be a jonin for some time, before you can become a sensei. Besides, I can't be a sensei _and _a Hokage at the same time!"

Sakura smiled at him.

"Yeah, I forgot about that!"

"I never! The day will come, when Granny-Tsunade'll say _hell, I'm too old! Naruto it's your time now!_"

Sakura found it still hard to imagine Naruto getting serious enough to become Hokage, and now that she had met the Elders, it would be even harder. The jonins along with the Elders were the ones who decided who'd succeed in taking the throne of the Hokage. In Tsunade's case, the Elders themselves had selected Tsunade as she was a descendant of the Senju clan who used to rule Konoha from the time of its founding.

But Naruto had a dark past, although now he was well respected by both shinobi and non from the village and beyond. But still, Naruto had not the personality according to the majority to take an entire country under control.

And Sakura had to agree with this majority.

But… would the Kages exist forever, she thought.

"What if Madara makes his plan real? What… if he kills all the Kages and… rules the lands?"

Naruto turned to look at his teammate.

"He won't! What makes you believe that?"

"Well… everything kind of! He is the strongest living shinobi, is he not? And up to now he seems to be at least a dozen steps ahead of us each time. It feels like we just follow his greater plan like emotionless puppets!"

"How can you say that? You managed to release yourself from his genjutsu, right? I don't think he used a lower level jutsu just because it's you! You always were good at sensing such illusionary techniques."

"Kakashi-sensei was the one who released me." Sakura admitted in a grief tone.

"Really? How?"

"This is the reason why Rin-san and Kakashi-sensei had come that day when I sent you and Chie-chan away. Kakashi-sensei used the Memory Retrieval technique on me to find out how I woke up. Still though I know not how… he did it. How he saved me!" Sakura traveled back to that day. The worried look on Kakashi's face…

"We can ask him once he wakes up. We can go there later together!"

"Yeah, I'd like that!" she said and hoped Kakashi would be back to normal soon. How much she had missed him. It's been so long since she had been with him under normal conditions, talk with him, plan the next strategy, laugh with Naruto's and Sai's quarrels.

Sakura sat down on a rock and stretched her legs.

She couldn't wait to see him again.

Would Kakashi approve her plan to fight Madara. She wondered if he'd be part of it as well, if he was in the state to. Long ago, if she would come up with a plan like this, she'd never tell him. But now… it felt right to have him with her. Not only because he was perhaps the best shinobi after Tsunade in the village, but because if he was there, maybe he'd repeat those beautiful words he had told her not long ago; that he trusted her…

If he was there with her along the way, she'd always know what her reason was to go on fighting. She'd always have him by her side, and she'd look over him, like he was looking over her all the time.

Or could it be that she wanted him to participate in this, knowing that she'd be in grave danger, but he would always protect her, even give his life to… save her…

_Kakashi is our hero!_ , the inner voice screeched inside her head.

Sakura looked upwards annoyed, seeing this inner, crazy, and hyper-active side of her, which she always kept well hidden in the abyss of her troubled mind.

No, it's already too risky to have Naruto with her. But this was a fight she couldn't fight alone. At least not now…

When the time would come to face Madara himself, she would send Naruto away.

It was her fight…

"Naruto, let's begin with our strategy, shall we?" Sakura began and turned to face Naruto.

Naruto nodded and they climbed up a mound of solid rock and slid down to land on a flatness with thorny bushes. Now Konoha was hidden behind the mountain and to the north the Fire Country extended until where the eye reached. The dense forest covered all, only the sparkling surface of a river was visible between the million trees.

This flat part on the mountain was a common spot for romantic couples to meet and for secret meetings between shinobi.

Sakura had not come here for a long time. Ino had forced her once to meet her here insisting on teaching her how to behave in front of guys; a lecture gone to waste…

The area was big enough for one person to train, but for now all they needed it for, was to be out of eavesdroppers reach. Here the northern wind surpassed every sound and anyone who would want to eavesdrop would have to reveal himself to them.

Sakura and Naruto kneeled on the dry dirt facing each other.

"So, this is what I've come up with…"

______________

Tsunade stretched her arms behind her head and sighed.

The sun was high in the sky showering the Hokage's office with a bright light.

Having the throne of the Hokage for five years, Tsunade had all the excuses to tell that she had grown tired of this office, of this building.

Greater issues had to be solved, but this strangest desire to leave all behind and go for a holiday was threatening to ruin everything.

She could no longer concentrate properly because of that, she couldn't talk correctly. It was like her mind was trying to drive her mad, until she gave up. Was she really getting that old…

Sixty years old, she thought and tried to calculate the years to days, then to minutes…

Such a huge number it feels tiring even to think of it.

Tsunade chuckled with herself, not believing she was acting like an old lady.

Maybe it's some Naruto-jinx who keeps calling me _granny_, she concluded and placed her legs on the desk throwing a pile of files on the floor.

Her eyes stayed on the papers that were floating for a moment before landing on the wooden floor.

She noticed one paper, with a tint of yellow on its edges.

Tsunade leaned and grabbed it.

_Land of Snow…_

She read the first symbol and then heard a loud knock on the door.

"Yeah!" she shouted not hiding her irritation.

A shinobi came in holding a folded piece of parchment in his hands.

"Hokage-sama, this came from the squad in the Land of Waves." He announced.

Tsunade lifted her head and grabbed the parchment from him.

_Midday of the second day. We were ambushed by a group of missing-nins outside the Village of the Hanging Clouds. Hyuga was nowhere found. According to the few proof left behind, she fought with two shinobi of unknown identities and was taken. A source was found who knew of Uchiha's past, but found murdered an hour later. Awaiting for further orders._

"WHAT?" Tsunade yelled standing forcefully up knocking down her spinning chair.

The shinobi stepped backwards in terror.

Tsunade felt her head boil.

He took another Hyuga, she thought.

"You!" she shouted pointing at the shinobi.

"Tell Turo and his team to return immediately! Go!" she told him hastily.

The young man bowed and disappeared behind the door in a second.

Tsunade put on her green anorak and left the office.

______________

Sakura and Naruto were walking down the market street of Konoha, which was buzzing with people.

Naruto was holding the scroll with the red ribbon Sakura had given him that contained Rin's technique of releasing someone from Madara's genjutsu. She had insisted him to study it although there was no solid proof that he'd be actually able to perform it.

At least he would have an idea, which was enough, she thought not being really satisfied with the fact that if she was trapped in a genjutsu there'd be no way to get out of it except using her own powers.

She had done it once, but it seemed that all she had found out after the Memory Retrieval technique was what she had lived through in this illusion and that somehow Kakashi had saved her. But _how _he had saved her, she didn't really know.

It had felt so unimportant when she woke up from that technique. All she cared about was the fact that she was back with the living. But if it ever occurred again, how would she be able to release herself again…

The next time, Kakashi wouldn't be there with her…

She couldn't simply trust that he'd always be there for her. Besides he was no longer her sensei, which meant she had to theoretically be able to defend and protect herself alone.

Sakura sighed and her shoulders fell as she walked beside her teammate.

Naruto seemed to have noticed her depressed mood.

"What is it, Sakura-chan? Are you worrying about the plan?" Naruto asked hiding the scroll in one of the hundreds of pockets of his jonin vest.

"No! Well, yes a little, but it's just…!" Sakura began not knowing what to say. Like her tongue was too exhausted to mouth the words. Maybe she still wasn't ready to strain herself while she was still under treatment. The wounds on her lower stomach pierced as she stretched her body to walk straight.

Out of the blue a cloud of smoke blocked their vision.

Sakura coughed and made a step backwards.

So did Naruto next to her.

Ten Ten appeared from the cloud of smoke, wearing her jonin uniform. Her hair was tied on a high ponytail and a chain was hanging around her waist like a belt with many weapons and tools clinging as she walked towards them.

"Hey, Sakura, Naruto!" she greeted them with a broad smile, though her eyes were telling something was troubling her deeper.

"Ten Ten, what is it?" Naruto asked with his serious tone.

"Tsunade-sama has called all jonins to gather at the meeting chamber now!" she said letting her true emotions flow on her beautiful face.

Naruto frowned and glanced at Sakura.

"Go, Naruto! I'll meet you later!" she assured him and was about to go, when Naruto stopped her by grabbing her hand.

His touch always felt beautifully warm.

Naruto stepped closer to her, hiding Ten Ten from Sakura's sight.

Sakura felt her heart beat faster when she noticed how closer Naruto was standing. She could see every detail of his bright blue eyes and listen to his inhaling and exhaling.

The worried frown was still there on his forehead and his hand was still holding hers tight.

"Come with me!" he whispered.

Sakura couldn't tell what was going on inside of her. It was like Naruto's warmth was flowing through her body causing her face to burn, her throat to go dry, her mind to go blank.

What's wrong, she thought.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto woke her up from her swirling thoughts.

"Ehm, I think I have to get ready. You go!" she said, her voice trembling lightly.

Why was she all of a sudden so anxious.

"Do not do anything stupid, Sakura! I beg you!" he whispered again, now sounding too serious.

She hadn't heard him so serious for a long time.

"Like what, Naruto? You have to go, don'-!"

"Please come with me! I fear…" Naruto let a loud sigh. "I fear you'll leave again! Something tells me something horrible will happen!"

Sakura chuckled and for a moment regretted it.

Naruto didn't look less worried. He even looked angry, and his grip grew tighter.

Was he really that afraid she'd leave him again, she wondered and her eyes got lost in his.

"Naruto, please go and fulfill your duty! I will be where I said I'll be!" she said and hugged him. She noticed Ten Ten standing behind them staring at them with a concerned look.

Sakura turned her head to whisper in his ear, fearing Ten Ten or anyone from the hidden ANBU shinobi who were always there would listen.

"I won't leave without you, Naruto! We're in this together!" she tried to sound as calm as possible and broke the hug and glanced once more in her friend's sparkling eyes.

He looked startled at her, frozen.

Before Sakura turned around to leave, she saw a smile on Naruto's face.

______________

Sakura walked in the village for more than three hours. She walked through the market street for the tenth time, observing the shops reaching closing time as the afternoon slowly gave its throne to the night.

If she went back home, she wouldn't be able to calm down, knowing something important must have happened for the jonins to gather so hastily. And in addition, time didn't feel to pass by at all, knowing that later she would be leaving along with Naruto.

So, this was the only way to keep herself occupied.

She passed by the Academy and stayed to see a class of young wannabe-genins train in the park with Iruka-sensei.

Some of the kids even waved at her, and they all shouted her name.

Sakura froze and waved nervously back at them.

She had no clue who these children were, but it made her feel such calm to watch them train so innocently.

Iruka was always filled with all the energy to teach those little devils, and he always wore that smile that radiated happiness.

Those were really beautiful years, she thought with a sad smile.

Training like we knew we would never lose, fighting like there's no evil in the world. And then, all of a sudden you face the real world and you fall on your knees, helpless, powerless, depressed and disappointed with the turn of things. You realize this is no longer a game between friends, but instead it's a war between unacquainted people. People each with his story, his family, his teammates, his reason of being who he is.

Sakura sighed watching the sparkle of happiness in the eyes of the kids that kept dodging kunais and shurinken that Iruka threw at them.

The laughter echoing was so vibrant, that Sakura had to chuckle with the innocence of it.

Iruka turned to see her from the other end of the park.

Sakura couldn't fight to smile at him as he waved at her.

Later she walked through different training fields, when she reached the furthest one from Konoha. The training field where once upon a time, Team 7 used to train. The three cut tree columns were still there in the middle of a clearing, and a river was flowing on the other side disappearing to the west into the dense woods that surrounded Konoha.

So many memories…

Would they soon come to an end…?

Sakura stood by the river and looked down at her reflection on the flowing water.

Her pink hair were falling on her face. The scars on her cheeks had become less visible, but she could still make out the disgusting purple colour of the wounds. Her lips were too red.

She kneeled and filled her palms with fresh water and let it splash on her face.

Freezing, she thought and looked back at her reflection, this time covered with blue ripples.

Her lips were still strangely red…

Her fingers touched them and they felt warm.

Like Naruto's grip…

First Kakashi… now Naruto…

Oh dear, the inner voice sighed inside her head.

Like Madara being after us is not enough, the voice repeated annoyed.

Sakura let her head fall backwards so that she could see the sky and the few clouds floating like sleeping ghosts on the blue canvas.

A breeze caused the trees to sing as their leaves danced to its rhythm. The grass beneath her legs danced along, as did her hair making the sky look pink for a moment.

She felt a sudden stab in the wounds on her thighs and placed her hands on them instinctively.

"Ouch!"

She lied down on the grass and placed her arms under her head.

The clouds seemed to flow faster.

What was this feeling, this heat in my head, she wondered going through this moment over and over again. Naruto looking deep in her eyes, holding her hand, sounding so worried and so… afraid.

Why was she thinking of it so intensely.

Just before that, all that could make her that nervous before was being near Kakashi…

Maybe it's better if I'm thinking of Naruto… it'd be more logical, she thought. But then she remembered the most beautiful moment she had experienced in a long time; being in the arms of the last person she'd ever think of. Nobody had made her feel so secure and so protected before.

Kakashi's embrace…

The heat returned in her face and made her insides tickle.

A chill run down her spine and made her breathing rate increase in speed.

Why…

Even though she forced her mind to think of Naruto, now her head was stuck onto Kakashi. He was so attractive in a way Naruto could never be. Naruto has grown, but… so have I, Sakura thought.

_Yeah, it's time we get a man,_ she heard her inner voice say excited.

Sakura slapped her forehead annoyed.

Dear, what am I thinking…

Naruto is a man as well, right, she wondered.

_Naruto? A man? _I'm_ more a man than he is!_

Sometimes… I guess, Sakura agreed and smiled to herself.

Maybe she should stop these schizophrenic conversations with her consciousness. I don't think they let shinobi with mental issues become jonins, she thought and lifted herself up.

_We'll see!_

"Yeah, yeah!" Sakura muttered and when she stood up and straightened her skirt over her black leggings she gasped almost falling back on the ground when she saw a shinobi in ANBU uniform standing only a few feet ahead of her.

It was a man staring at her through a porcelain mask with the painted face of a cat. Red whiskers were drawn on the cheeks. His two swords, a long one, the katana, and a shorter one, the wakizasi, were hanging on his back.

"Haruno-san! Are you alright?" the man asked with a deep tone.

Sakura tried to catch her breath from the terror the man had caused her.

She leaned on her knees and when she felt calm again stood up straight to face him.

He must be one of the ANBU who are watching over me. I must have kept them too busy all this time, she thought.

"Ehm, yes! I guess so!" she replied with a frown.

"Are you sure? I saw you muttering to yourself and it seemed to me for a moment you…!"

"A! Hahaha, yeah, I'm sorry to worry you! I'm fine, fine! Thank you, ehm, sir!" she laughed stupidly, blushing with embarrassment.

_Busted!_ The inner voice announced.

Sakura was about to punch herself, but held back the last minute.

"I suggest you return home, Haruno-san. It's going to get dark soon." The ANBU shinobi said.

Sakura stared at the blank porcelain mask of a cat's face and frowned trying to make out who that was.

The man was tall, but he couldn't be Kakashi. His hair were dark brown.

Besides Kakashi is still at the hospital, she corrected herself.

I'm losing it, she tried to reason herself and walked away, not leaving the ANBU shinobi from her sight.

After a moment the stranger ANBU shinobi was nowhere to be seen and Sakura gave up as she tried to guess who that man was.

She reached Konoha, when the sun was setting and the orange light made the village glow in flames. The flowers had already shut their petals for the night and the shops had all closed, except the restaurants and the bars which were opening now.

She looked around and around to see any known face, but she saw no one.

So she walked back home to get ready for the night.

Finally it was time to apply her plan…

_____________

Two young men were standing alert facing each other.

The one was the tallest of the two, bare-chested, holding five shurinken in each hand between his fingers. His long bright red hair were waving along the strong angles of his pale face and held his weapons in front of his face in a defensive posture. But his feet were slightly moving on the wet grass, proving his mind's intension to attack any moment now.

The other young man had noticed that.

But this time he wouldn't win, he thought. This time he knew…

Katsuro was a too self-conscious shinobi. That's why he doesn't mind exposing his half-nakedness in front of their entire family, or why he always wears that arrogant smile which seems like he knows more than you.

He hated it…

Yasuhiro grunted as the numbness of the deep cut Katsuro had managed on his right thigh took over. The warm blood was dropping from his cotton trousers and the bandages that held them from messing with his feet had turned from white to clear red.

If he continued more with this cut he'd faint.

This was his final blow before he couldn't move anymore.

Katsuro liked using this one technique he still hadn't used. This must be the time…

Yasuhiro took a deep breath never letting his dark turquoise eyes off his brother.

Yasuhiro used all his available force to lift his kusarigama and not fall on the ground as he shifted the weight of his body.

The long chain clanged as he started moving the wooden handle with the curved blade and soon the chain along with the sphere with sharp spikes that was attached at the very end of the chain disappeared in front of Yasuhiro with the speed it was moving.

The smile on Katsuro's face widened.

Yasuhiro focused only on the movement of his muscles in his arm as he moved his kusarigama and the murmurs and whispers from the spectators, all the members of his family, faded away in the quietness of his mind. There, where only the _inner voice_ existed.

Sometimes he wondered whether this inner voice was the actual voice of a person, as it seemed to often take control of him like some kind of illusionary technique…

Like that moment.

Yasuhiro was lacking in chakra capacity compared to his fantastic brother. As a result his beloved grandfather had taught him the art of the kusarigama, one that only the elder shinobi used.

He remembered how his grandpa would repeat that this art would be such a surprise to his opponents that the shock and wonder in their minds would have the same effect as the casting of a genjutsu.

It sounded so tempting that Yasuhiro started to train at the very moment with his grandfather in secret.

On his thirteenth birthday, when Katsuro gave him as a present a new set of shurinken, he had challenged him in a fight instead.

He would never forget this day…

And ever since, on Yasuhiro's birthday, the two brothers would have a real fight to measure each other's improvement.

Now Yasuhiro was finally becoming eighteen and he had already mastered the art of the kusarigama. But the one spectator he hoped would be here to see him had passed away only a month ago…

But nevertheless, he was sure grandpa was watching over him, always keeping an eye on his development.

So, this inner voice like magic provided Yasuhiro with a new amount of chakra and Yasuhiro forced it through his kusarigama. All of a sudden, a wave of humming light glowed around the blade and then flowed across the chain and finally the sphere with spikes.

As the chain was swirling in front of him the light formed a huge disk and this was the moment to attack.

Hidden behind the disk of blue light, Yasuhiro ran with all his might towards Katsuro, his thigh piercing with every step.

He couldn't help but scream with pain.

But he hadn't been fast enough. Katsuro immediately responded with the throw of all his shurinken towards different destinations, but the swirling chain acted like a shield and the ten kunais hit the ground.

Katsuro moved quickly his hands.

Yasuhiro could recognize the hand signals; the Shooting Blizzards, Katsuro's favourite jutsu.

He screamed louder and swung the kusarigama even faster and the chakra flow intenser.

But still he couldn't _run _faster. The distance seemed longer than what he had calculated.

_Damn…_

Get him off guard, get him off guard, his inner voice shouted in his mind.

But how, he thought.

The light glowing from the chakra flow through the chain in front of his face was so bright now he couldn't see Katsuro, which meant he was blind.

The Shooting Blizzards technique could hit him from any direction, but if he couldn't see how would he know which way to shield first.

The high-pitched sound of the swirling chain suppressed any other sounds.

Yasuhiro glanced at his thigh and for a moment let the feeling of pain reach his mind. But he was too alert to feel anything else.

The shooting blizzards had to come from up high first, so if he shifted his filled with chakra shield over his head, perhaps he would have greater chances of defeating his brother.

And so he did, his arm aching with the continuous movement, his shoulder felt too stiff.

But with the shouts of his inner voice, he did it and kneeled on the ground swinging the kusarigama above his head and finally having a surrounding view of the environment.

But Katsuro was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly he felt like a gigantic weight was suppressing his shield. Yasuhiro felt like his head would explode with the fast beating of his heart.

And the chakra never felt to dry out.

"YASUHIRO!"

Yasuhiro turned to his left, towards the source of that voice.

Was… was that pain trembling in that voice?

He wasn't sure, and although he wanted so much to stop swinging that chain above his body, his arm didn't want to respond to the demands of his mind.

Keep fighting, keep fighting, his inner voice shouted.

The voice was never wrong…

Yasuhiro still felt that suppressing weight hitting his shield, which meant Katsuro was still sending his shooting blizzards towards him.

But something… something was not right…

Usually Katsuro's blizzards would form high in the sky with Water and Wind, and then would get the energy from Lighting to get the proper kinetic energy to become missiles made of ice. Then they would come from all directions towards their target.

This time they were only coming from above…

Katsuro could have won this fight long ago by sending blizzards from the sides…

Why wasn't he doing that…

Maybe he's just playing with me. It's classic Katsuro to show off in front of everyone like that, he thought.

But as he flickered with a sudden stabbing from his bleeding wound, Yasuhiro saw bodies.

And blood… and a scream…

And the end of the scream as a high-pitched sound of a katana sliced through the air.

Yasuhiro let his arm finally fall on his side, his kusarigama tight in his fist hit the ground. The spiky sphere bounced next to him.

He was about to faint, but his eyes were too wide open to shut and let peace take over him.

Everything was too quiet.

And the blood felt too bitter. Did his own blood smell like this also, he wondered.

A dark silhouette of a tall man stood up from beside the bodies holding what he had correctly guessed was a katana.

The blade sparkled as a sunray reflected upon it.

Was the sparkle that made his eyes watery, he wondered.

_Get up,_ the voice in his head ordered.

"No!" Yasuhiro mumbled, no strength no more in his body to shout.

The voice had told him to continue fighting while his family was being slaughtered next to him…

When everything told him something wasn't right, all he did was to do as the voice told.

_Damn you!_

_GET UP, _the voice repeated.

_Shut up!_

_He is your real opponent_, the voice said calmly.

_Because _you_ let him kill them!_

_Me? _The voice sounded just like his, filled with pain.

_You killed them… _the hot tears finally let go and caressed his skin.

His mother, his father, his dear grandmother, his baby sister… his older brother…

All lying on this man's feet.

On the hill where their home was, in the middle of a circle made of cherry trees.

On the hill where his grandpa was buried…

Here all of his family was murdered. And soon so would he…

Just because _I listened to you!_

_This voice, _he heard it once more, so calm, so beautiful, but still so… so… painful.

_This voice…_

The man whose face he couldn't see was approaching him with slow steps, the katana red in his both fists.

Yasuhiro stood up, grunting with pain from his numb shoulder and his bleeding thigh.

A hood was hiding the murderer's face, but he could his tensed lips, hear his teeth gritting.

_I'll kill you!_

Yasuhiro wondered if this time this voice was his or if it still was this other damned inner voice.

Everyone was dead, and the tears kept falling on his cheeks, and the kusarigama was still tight in his right fist.

He had a chance…

And he would do it.

Whoever's this strange, calm and confident voice was, this time he agreed with him.

And he swung the kusarigama in his hand once to his right and then to his left and again and again. Chakra flowed though it and the pain reached his heart.

This time he _would_ win…

__

**Hmmm... i hope it didn't confuse you too much-jumping from one place to the other! when i write i imagine it in my head like an anime, that's why i twist the scenes so much! :)**

**thanx for keeping up & please tell me what you think!!!**


	35. Follower

A two stories house stood in front of her, with a little front garden hiding it from the alley which led to the market street. Wooden plates had been nailed on each window and the front door giving a haunting sight. Wild bushes had grown in place of the vegetables that were once harvested here and every little hole or crack had turned into a home for insects, birds and rats.

Sakura frowned not really knowing how to react to this view.

Once her home, now some leftover from her hidden memories.

Without intending to, her feet had dragged her through alleys she used to avoid all this time she was back in Konoha. But now, as her mind was racing through thousands of different thoughts, her legs remembered the way she always took after school, or after training, or after each mission, longing to tell happily that she had done once again well in the Academy, or that she had succeeded in the mission and her sensei had told her well done.

Back during a time she had parents, a mother and a father who were always so proud of her. Who were always smiling when they saw her return safely back home…

Back home…

Now that I am back home, I desperately want to run away, Sakura thought with a frown.

It felt cold inside and a chill run down her spine as a crow cracked from the chimney on the roof.

Sakura looked up at the black feathered creature and for a moment she desired to throw it a kunai. A crow on the rooftop of her home, that was no good omen.

She sighed and remembered the last memory she had of both of her parents together; she was still a little genin and it was the day the chuunin exams were announced. She had decided not to participate, as she knew she was not in the same level as her teammates. Both Naruto and Sasuke were the best in all, ninjutsu, taijutsu, even genjutsu.

She had never shown great abilities on the field. She was only good in theory, but the chuunin exams were testing the ability of the children to become real shinobi. Shinobi who can overcome every obstacle, shinobi who can give their all in a battle, shinobi who know how to handle their fear and turn it into strength.

Sakura wasn't feeling ready back then, and she had told her parents. Thanks to them she did take the exams, and thanks to them she had the proper courage to go on.

"_You will never know if you're good, unless you try your best to be good."_ Her dad had told her as they had tea that warm afternoon.

Sakura smiled to herself remembering how she must have looked like back then. So small and so vulnerable, so fragile and clueless of what awaited her. Was this girl so different from the person I am now, she wondered shoving away her pink strands.

She was the first ninja in generations in her family. Her father was a farmer who owned a field and grew aubergines. She used to go there and observe every day how bigger the purple vegetables had grown, talking to them, singing to them, as her father always smiled upon her. And then at lunchtime they'd return back home holding hands as her mother would be awaiting them in her favourite place of the house; her little paradise, the front garden.

Where now a chopped main branch lay somewhere hidden from the wild grass, a huge cherry tree used to thrive. Where now cats hunted mice and rats, a path made of pebbles led to the entrance surrounded by daisies, orchids, lilies, and onions, lettuces and peppers.

Thousand different scents, still carved in the deepest ends of her mind.

Sakura gasped seeing two blurry faces waving at her from the front door. Smiles on their faces, eyes that sparkle with happiness and her heart felt like being torn apart.

They're gone, she told herself. Her mother had died a long time ago, while her father had disappeared from her life shortly after her mum's death. She hadn't seen him for such a long time. There was no power inside her to face him.

_If he's still alive…_

She missed a heartbeat as a glimpse of one shameful thought crossed her mind; what awful daughter she must have been…

"Who would have thought…!" Sakura flinched turning in an instant around to face the source of that deep voice. The only street lamp shone on the stranger's face who was everything but a stranger.

Sakura would never forget the voice that sounded like the warning growl of a panther, the blue like the morning sky eyes that looked beyond all, the long red cupper hair that surrounded the square jaws of the most loyal follower of her forever enemy; Kuroi.

The man made a step closer, showing her a smirk hidden in his thick red beard. The tattoo that extended from his neck to his left cheek seemed like a shadow trying to reach for the sky drawn in his eyes.

"…that the once happiest little girl of this village, would turn out to be left so alone!" he continued after a short pause.

Sakura froze. How long had he been standing behind her…

Kuroi showed her his teeth with a smile and a chuckle.

Sakura's eyes flickered to his katana hanging on his waist.

"There's no need to be able to read minds to see what's on your troubled one! It's so perfectly written on your face!" he said in a soft, low tone. Like he was sympathizing her, like he had already been through what she has.

Sakura frowned annoyed with the row her thoughts took.

"Did you come to kill me?" she asked after a silent moment. She sounded angrier than what she actually felt.

Kuroi lifted an eyebrow, like this was the last thing he would do.

"No, Haruno-san! I was… passing by!"

"Stop this nonsense! Where is _he_?" Sakura hissed.

"You mean Madara-san?" he smirked again, but his eyes were no longer playful.

"Why is he hiding, huh? Why does he always send you?" Sakura shouted, feeling all the patience in her drown out. It was like she had no control of her emotions, of the words slipping out her mouth, of the shiver taking over her limbs.

Kuroi seemed to notice as he frowned.

"Haruno-san! Do you remember what it was we talked about the last time we met?" Kuroi asked calmly.

Sakura gritted her teeth.

"This time you won't fool me around! This time _you_ will listen to me!"

"Is there something you want to tell me then?" Kuroi wondered with a grin.

"You think this is a game, do you? Well, this is reality and I won't let you or your _beloved master_ destroy more lives with these games of yours! Do not ever again underestimate me! Whatever it is you want to achieve, I know it and I'll do everything in my powers to end this stupidity of yours! You come to me, telling me bullshit, making me believe your nonsense! Let me tell _you_, your role in this game will last not long! You made this a personal fight, and I know damn well this is what Uchiha Madara intended from the first place. _I know!_ And I know that he knows, so tell him this-!" Sakura took a deep breath looking in Kuroi's questioning gaze.

_Go girl, tell the asshole!_ , the inner voice inside her head shouted.

"Wherever he hides, I'm after him!"

Kuroi stood motionless, staring with this strange frown on his forehead deep in her eyes.

Sakura felt her throat dry and her heart beat faster in her chest.

She hadn't realized how her nails were fighting their way through the flesh of her palms, or how her teeth were on the limit to get crashed from her jaws.

She only felt the fury that had taken over her finally get out, and Madara's accomplice was nothing less than the perfect target.

Finally, Kuroi bowed his head slightly, his hand moved slowly to his katana. Instinctively Sakura shot her right hand to the little shurinken holster tied around her right thigh.

"As you wish!" Kuroi said and with a second glance at her, he disappeared behind a cloud of smoke.

Sakura ran to the place where he once stood finding nothing, seeing nothing, her hand still holding four shurinken between her fingers.

He's gone, she thought and looked up at the street lamp. It was so quiet once more.

The velvet night sky had erased every proof that the sun had been here, and a chilly breeze shove Sakura's hair away.

She was panting, for some reason…

She turned to take one last look at her childhood home and missed a heartbeat, hoping she could see her parents wave at her as she was leaving for her last mission…

________________

There's no other explanation, she thought intensively staring through the window in the dark.

Madara fears to face me, but why…

Sakura found the perfect spot to make herself invisible in the background. There at the edge of this rooftop she would be perfectly lost in the darkness, as the light of the closest streetlight was behind that roof. Here the view was perfect. Here she would be able to bid him her farewell, praying he would somehow know.

Sakura folded her legs, touching the roof only with her feet and keeping balance with her right hand. She leaned her chest on her knees and counted down the windows.

The fifth one on the first floor from the right…

There was a dim light, and she swore she saw one shadow moving around. But she could make out no details, no faces. Not his face. Her position was perfect to see him if he was still lying on the bed, but the light was too little.

Rin must be with him, she thought heavy-hearted.

She sighed.

If only I could see him…

_Maybe it's better if we don't_, the inner voice said. It sounded sad, disappointed.

He _is _in good hands, I don't doubt that, but… I just want to thank him. He saved me so many times, he has been always there for me, even though I didn't see it. Without him I'd be dead, Sakura thought.

A beautiful warmth caressed her heart.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura whispered wishing the wind would take her words to his ears.

_Is the end coming near_, she heard the inner voice mutter. She could see her other self's expression and knew this was the exact face she was wearing right now. A bitter one, a sad one, one that carried tons of fear, but anger as well.

Perhaps, Sakura thought.

_Hmmm!_

"Am I afraid?"

_Sure, like hell!_

Sakura chuckled silently.

What better way is there to die, knowing that you saved the ones you love?

_Yeah!_ The inner voice agreed softly.

Her tears felt warm.

No, I won't cry this time, she told herself and stood up, not caring that Rin would notice her, not caring that somewhere not faraway four ANBU shinobi were watching over her. She only wanted him to know what he meant to her. What this village meant to her, and all the people among it; her mentor, her family, her friends, her home.

She didn't care about her own life anymore. So many greater had died, and they had saved many. The world could live without Sakura, but Sakura wouldn't be able to live on knowing she'd loose more people in her life.

_Too many have already been taken from us_…

Sakura stared at the dim light from her sensei's room with dry eyes, with the deepest desire to go there and thank him once again.

But she couldn't. If she faced him, there's be no way she'd be able to leave. Her inner self was right; it was better of this way…

So, she jumped down the roof, but as she landed she felt her world turn upside down as a bright light shot behind her eyelids.

She grunted with pain feeling a deep stab through her guts. She looked down noticing her red shirt turn redder lower on her stomach. One of her wounds must have opened up with the jump, she thought and felt about to collapse.

"Dammit!" she grunted and pushed against the bleeding flesh with both her hands, trying to stop it in vain.

Suddenly she heard hissing sounds around her and behind the blurriness of the tears of her pain she noticed white porcelain masks looking down at her.

"Sparrow, go inform the Hokage! You stay in your positions, I'll take her home!" she heard a familiar voice order, but then all went bank.

_Stupid me…!_

________________

"How are you feeling?" a male voice asked calmly.

Sakura tried to open her eyes, but they felt too heavy. She wanted so much to close them again and sleep forever, but knowing what night it was and what had already occurred there was no way she would just sleep through it all.

So she forced herself to sit up straight. Her stomach hurt intensively.

She felt bandages wrapped around her stomach, and her shirt was ripped.

"Oh!" Sakura grunted and looked up at her healer.

He was still wearing his ANBU mask. It was him, the one who had talked to her earlier that day in the training field of Team 7 with the mask of a cat. Dark eyes were visible through the holes of the mask.

"What were-!"

"Thank you!" Sakura mumbled and tried to stand up. She noticed they were inside Tsunade's and Shizune's house. Her blood had leaked down the purple carpet and the couch on which she was laid.

Shizune would go mad, she thought.

"Your welcome. Tell me, what were you doing on that rooftop?" the ANBU shinobi asked in a serious tone.

Sakura looked at him with an irritated frown.

_Why does he care?_ The inner voice shouted annoyed.

"Stretching my feet!" Sakura answered blankly and walked towards the kitchen.

"Don't strain yourself, unless you want to bleed forever!" the man argued and followed her with a steady pace, not even showing a sign to catch her if she fell. Not that he wouldn't be fast enough, she thought.

"You healed me, didn't you?" Sakura asked him not hiding her irritation that he was still here.

She grabbed a bottle with water and swallowed with delight the fresh liquid.

"What are you planning, Sakura?" the man asked, his armor shining under the artificial, bright light.

Sakura glanced at the man. This tone of that voice sounded so familiar.

She walked up to him and made a quick move to grab his mask, but as she managed to lift it only inches from his face, she felt a tight grip around her wrist.

It hurt the way he made her fingers grow numb, and she knew that he wasn't using much force. She noticed his thin lips and tried to guess who that irritating man was.

_Ugh, why bother…_

When she was about to let his mask, she felt her hand released and stood there holding the porcelain mask of a cat in her hands. Slowly she lowered it and got face to face with Yamato-sensei.

Sakura felt suddenly lighter and grinned as she looked deep in the man's raven black eyes.

"Yamato-sensei!" Sakura said happily and hardly kept herself from falling all over him and hugging him, but then she remembered what had occurred, what his job was and what was about to happen. But on top of that, he was good friends with Kakashi.

"Now, this is the Sakura I know!" Yamato commented with a grin, making Sakura feel somehow more comfortable in his presence.

"Please forgive me for earlier! I acted too selfishly." Sakura admitted and bowed at him slightly.

"It's ok!"

Sakura pressed her lips together and flickered from his eyes to her surroundings and then at the mask she was holding. It felt so light.

She handed it to him and smiled nervously.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" he asked accepting back his mask.

Sakura noticed the veins pumping close to his skin on his neck and how his Adam's apple moved up and down as he moved his head closer to hers.

"I can tell something's bothering you, Sakura. I've been watching you all day! With Naruto, how you hid on the mountain, and after that. It was written all over your faces that you're planning something!" he said with his serious, teacher-like tone.

Sakura looked down at her feet stroking the bandages around her stomach. She could feel her heart beating in her open wound. Yamato had indeed stopped the bleeding, but it still hurt.

"I always made sure you were only watching, Yamato-sensei, and never listening!" she told him honestly.

"I can read lips, Sakura!" he told her, obviously annoyed that Sakura didn't know that.

Sakura looked up at him.

She couldn't have him mess with her plan. Not now. Especially not now, when Kuroi had triggered the last thread. When the purpose of this plan had become as clear as the morning sky. Yamato wouldn't stop her.

This was her fight. And she had to use all means to get those she cared about out of her way. There'd only be more victims, and there had been already more than enough.

"I know!" she said simply and waited how he would react.

Yamato frowned and looked deep in her eyes, like he was trying to search what kind of mind game she was playing.

"What were you doing watching on Kakashi-senpai?" he asked, crossing his arms over his armor.

Sakura didn't answer. She simply turned around and leaned on the kitchen table.

How could she get rid of him, without hurting him.

And besides he wasn't alone, three more ANBU shinobi were somewhere as well. They would immediately appear if she did something out of the book.

That was too risky. She had to draw them all out at once and trick them.

But how could she trick a bunch of specialized ANBU ninjas.

"Sakura! Whatever it is, maybe I can help! Do not shut people out. It will only make it worse! If you're think-!"

"Sometimes it's best you don't know the truth!" Sakura said in an undertone.

"Are you planning on giving yourself up, then?"

Sakura avoided turning around and facing him. She couldn't risk it having him see her real intensions. If Yamato found out, so would Tsunade, so would Kakashi… no, that was not an option.

"Sakura, this is no wise decision! There are people who deeply care about you! Don't be foolish to-!"

"I've thought it over and over, Yamato-sensei! There are the options we like and the options we don't like, but sometimes you have to risk it and choose an option you don't like. I've realized it long ago that being a kunoichi is no easy task!" Sakura said feeling a strange kind of energy flooding her insides.

"This is not a battle one person alone can achieve! Let alone a chuunin!"

Sakura turned around to look at his surprised stare. His parted lips and the unsounded forgiveness he asked.

"You have long forgotten that I am no longer the little chuunin you used to know. You all still think like that!"

"I didn't mean it that-!"

"It's alright! Really!" she told him calmly.

"Is…is this why you want to go after him? To prove yourself?" Yamato asked with a slightly trembling voice.

"No! I don't need to prove it to no one. I needed three years to prove it to myself! I believe this is more than enough!" Sakura chuckled staring into the nothingness.

"I still believe this is a mistake!" Yamato said making a step closer.

Sakura lifted her gaze at his.

"Do you know…how it feels to have lost so many people you loved and know that more will die because you're scared to make one step forward? We are afraid of what; a person who hides and has never shown his face? Really? This is just pathetic, so I can't just sit back, see teams leaving every day on a new mission and return in half because of one mad man!"

"I agree with you, Sakura! But still, it's not only one man we're talking about. He's not alone, this is why we need a coordinated and massive attack against them. If you face him and all his accomplices alone… you'll die Sakura!" Yamato told her.

Sakura felt her heart heavy.

"I can't tell you more, Yamato-sensei! For this I'll ask you to forgive me." Sakura said calmly and looked at her feet.

"Sakura!"

"Please go!"

"You know I can't keep this to myself!"

Sakura looked up at him.

"I know!" she muttered. She had already said too much. Right now Yamato was a threat against her plan. And the less people were part of it, the better. That's why she had only told Naruto. He was the only one who'd understand, the only one who'd trust her even blindfolded.

"I hope you know the consequences of your options."

Suddenly, Sakura heard the door open and shut and she noticed an anxious Shizune run towards them without taking off her sandals.

Yamato didn't take his eyes off of Sakura.

"What happened, Sakura-chan? How did this-!"

"I moved too quickly!" Sakura said feeling Yamato drill though her eyes with his own.

"But Yamato-sensei thankfully healed me!" she added and glanced at Yamato. He flinched and looked at Shizune next to him.

"I'll go and rest!" Sakura said and made her way to her room with the bottle of water in her hand.

As she shut the door she heard Yamato muttering at Shizune.

She didn't have the courage to get rid of him. She didn't have the powers to. Maybe she should leave it this way and deal with it later. Now she had to let Naruto know and flee from the village without anyone following.

Kuroi was sent to check on her, she thought as she was packing her stuff for the journey.

There was no other explanation. If Madara had appeared before Tsunade, the Hokage herself undetected, there didn't seem to be a problem for him to come to Konoha. And Naruto had seen him, Temari had seen him, Neji had seen him.

But still she only came across that idiot Kuroi with this arrogant smirk she couldn't wait to erase from his tattooed face.

Now she knew that Madara was after her, it was clear that it was her fight.

As midnight drew nearer, Sakura found herself too eager to rest so she walked up and down the room, making sure there was no way the ANBU shinobi could watch her from the outside by closing the curtains and covering every piece of the window above her bed with dark clothes she found in the room.

She had gone through her plan over and over again.

It had to work.

When she multi-checked that her stuff were packed properly and everything was in place she grabbed everything and hid it in a cupboard along with her second pair of boots and her black cloak.

_Now, it's time!_

She placed the bottle of water she had brought with her from the kitchen on the floor and took off the cap.

Sakura closed the light and took a deep breath.

She felt the chakra flow intensely inside her and she loved the way it made her feel invincible. But she needed only little chakra, so she focused on a small amount of it to flow through her centre to her hands as she linked her palms in front of her chest.

_Water Clone Jutsu!_

She heard a silent rustling and water flowing as the liquid element suppressed with chakra created a perfect clone of herself.

She could not see her creation in the pitch black darkness of the room, but she didn't doubt it. She had already perfected that technique ever since she had found out that her basic element was Water.

Sakura lifted her hand and touched something cold, but soft. Her clone's fingers entangled with hers and she smiled slightly.

I hope this works, she thought to herself and walked towards the back of the door, where she'd hide for the rest of the night until it was the right time.

Sakura heard the clone make some sounds as she put on her pyjamas and lay on the mattress on the floor.

Sakura let a silent sigh as she remembered the darkness from Kakashi's room in the hospital. She hoped she had seen him, at least get a tiny glimpse of him. See if he was awake, if he was well and back to his normal self.

So much had happened since she had returned to the village.

She hoped this all would end soon…

_Madara…_

Why is he after me, she wondered for the millionth time, as she stood silent behind the door being one with the shadows.

Only something very important must draw him to me, but… what could that be… . There is nothing important about me that would trigger all this chaos. All these murders, all this fuss. It made no sense. Unless I am not the real aim of his ultimate plan, she thought with a frown.

Maybe this warning Madara gave Tsunade was another mind game…

He did say he was after the Kages, and that he dreamed of a world without leaders. He had appeared before Tsunade. The only reasonable explanation is that Madara was actually after the Hokage and was only trying to trick her by threatening her beloved student.

_How could I actually believe Uchiha Madara was after me?_

_Because you like being thought as a strong kunoichi, that's why! Remember what Naruto had said; _if Madara is after you, that means you're stronger than me! The inner voice replied in her mind.

_Am I really that dense!_ Sakura thought annoyed and leaned her back on the wall and tried to listen through the wall at Shizune. All was too silent, perhaps she had gone to bed.

_What about Kuroi? What's his role in this game? Why does he tell me all these stuff? And today, it seems like he had come to tell me something!_ Sakura argued in her mind with her inner self.

_Another pawn that's meant to draw _you_ out of the play,_ the inner voice said in a serious tone.

"This has to end!" Sakura whispered. She pressed her ear on the wooden door and heard faint snoring sounds of Shizune in her bedroom which lay in the far opposite side of hers.

_It's time…_

Sakura opened the door as silently as possible and barefoot on tiptoes walked to Tsunade's room, which was next to Shizune's. She pressed her ear on that door as well and, knowing Tsunade snored even louder than Shizune, she walked inside. Tsunade must spend many nights at the Hokage tower she thought with a satisfied smile, as Tsunade's window led straight to the forests of Konoha in the west of the village. If she was lucky she could blend in the bushes and slip through Yamato's watch invisibly.

She pushed the window slightly open and climbed on the closest pine tree.

The night was rather chilly and humid, but the sky was beautifully clear. The moon was nowhere to be seen, which meant the stars had their opportunity to shine freely in the velvet night sky.

Sakura felt her wound on her lower stomach stab and caused her to halt for a long moment to catch her breath again.

_Dammit…_

She looked around with her eyes, seeing no one, so she continued climbing down the tall pine tree.

When she reached the ground she walked with a quick but too silent pace through the forest until she was out of eyes' or ears' reach. The mansion of Tsunade and Shizune was now far away and she held her breath as she saw the lights turn on in the house.

_They must have realized I'm missing!_

Sakura took the opportunity to run as fast as she could to the training field of Team 7. She hoped Naruto would already be there, there was no time to waste…

Passing by trees and trees, she felt her wound hurt more and more and once she even had to stop and soothe it with her own chakra. But she kept going until after fifteen minutes of running she reached the plain with the three chopped branches and the river flowing on the one side.

She halted before she appeared in open view behind a tree, where she used to sit long hours as she used to watch Naruto train with Kakashi and Yamato-sensei once upon a time.

She searched around for any sign of her friend, but saw or heard nothing. Nothing at all…

"Hey!"

"AAA!"

Sakura fell on her bum with her heart beating madly.

"Dammit, Naruto! You scared the hell out of me!" she hissed still trying to calm down.

Naruto leaned in the darkness over her with a wide grin on his face.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan!" he whispered and offered her a hand.

Sakura hesitated to touch his hand, but the stabbings on her stomach forced her to forget those strange thoughts from her mind.

_Naruto is my best friend!_

His hand was indeed warm as always and she liked the sensation of it.

She stood up straight and looked around fearing they would have been discovered.

"I've been here for about an hour. No one has come so far!" Naruto said in his serious tone noticing Sakura's worried look.

"You look pale. Are you alright?" he asked concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine. We have to leave." She whispered to him, always keeping both of her eyes on her dark and shadowy surroundings.

"Where's your stuff?" Naruto noticed with a frown.

Sakura turned around to look at him, noticing that he had dressed himself in black just like they had said they would. As long it was night, they had to use all means to blend in the darkness and get lost without anyone following. Sakura touched her stomach, which was still wrapped in bandages under her black short-sleeved dress, which she had altered for this occasion.

"On their way. How on earth could I escape unnoticed from a huge house with four ANBU watching over me all the time packed up and wearing those loud boots?" she told him as they walked past the training grounds to the north of the village.

"You wear no shoes?" Naruto gasped.

"Be quiet, you idiot!"

Sakura heard something and halted, placing her palm over Naruto's mouth as he was ready to speak.

She tried to listen, but it must have been some kind of animal of the forest.

"We have to leave, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said.

"In a second! I'm meeting someone here." She whispered and looked to her right. The gates were visible from here, but they were not visible as they were hidden in the shadows of the forest.

The woods that surrounded Konoha at night were a dangerous place to be. Not only because of animals, but mostly because of road-shinobi that wandered in the darkness and robbed other shinobi, campers or travelers. Sometimes they even killed to get what they wanted.

Sakura and Naruto kept out of the main road that led to the gates of Konoha and waited on top of a tree under its leaves. Sakura observed how an owl was watching over them on the opposite tree with huge round eyes that were as black as the night. The little light that reached from the billion stars of the sky reflected on the bird's golden feathers. The owl screeched and flew in the sky disappearing deep in the woods.

Sakura smiled with the beauty of the creature and suddenly she felt a small amount of chakra reaching her mind. It felt like the warmth of satisfaction that reached your mind once you had the most perfect idea.

Sakura glanced down on the ground and saw her water clone stare up at her, dressed in her normal fighting outfit this time, with the blue skirt over black leggings and her red shirt.

Sakura avoided jumping this time, so she crawled down the tree to reach her water clone.

Her own turquoise eyes were looking back at her, and she even had the same scars on her cheeks as she had. The clone smiled at her and handed her her backpack and her boots which were wrapped in her black cloak.

Sakura nodded pleased at her clone and it suddenly turned into liquid and leaked down on the ground returning to its former form, as Water.

"Was that a water clone?" Naruto wondered happily.

"Yes! Now, we leave!" Sakura informed him.

"Cool! And you used it to draw the ANBU's attention elsewhere! Clever!" Naruto mumbled staring at the little pool of water that slowly soaked through the ground.

"Let's go!" Sakura insisted after she put on her boots.

"Yeah, yeah!"

Sakura glanced one last time at the gates of Konoha, looking at the huge symbol in Japanese on the huge gates and bid her farewell to her home, knowing that this mission had no turning back.

This time she had made her choice…

And she couldn't return…

With Naruto by her side they ran through the dense woods heading north, not realizing that the ANBU shinobi were not the only ones following them…

__

**Sorry for the wait and i hope you enjoyed it! if it gave you the impression that it's ending, i assure you it's not :) ... well not soon though!**

**Thanx for reading, until next time...!**


	36. Trust

**Finally I'm back :) exams are over and they went pretty good giving me even more thrill to go on writing path of life!**

**because of the long wait, here are two chapters!**

**HAVE FUN!!!**

**_**

The trees were passing by rapidly, moving like haunting ghosts through the shadows of the night.

The dim light from the stars made it even harder to watch through the darkness and the shadows of the trees and the animals of the woods deceived every pair of eyes that tried to make anything out.

Sakura forced her eyes to shut for a brief second, since they were hurting after having them wide open for so long. She felt too alert to calm her senses. She could feel the muscles around her eyes stiff and it even hurt to blink.

Her throat felt dry, and the permanent stabbing from her wound on her lower stomach was frustrating her.

Naruto was calmly, and silent as a cat, running beside her, his eyes always observing his surroundings.

She envied him for looking so cool and calm while they were trying to run away unnoticed and unheard through the woods that surrounded Konoha.

Maybe it had to do with some sort of training jonins got. Or maybe it was just how Naruto functioned.

She could remember very few times that she had actually seen Naruto very nervous or afraid. He was this type of person who saw everything in its bright side. What helped him had to be this strange ability of his to not give up, Sakura thought.

He always kept fighting…

He always had the last word to say…

Unlike me, she thought as her eyes kept scanning widely open the forest around her.

_I wish I had at least one little piece of this determination and calm of his._

Maybe then, my perspective of this world wouldn't be so black…

The more she thought of it, the more it ate her from the inside. Kuroi's continuous appearances, Madara being supposedly after her, Kakashi being stuck in the hospital, and now tricking people who always protected her; Yamato-sensei, Tsunade and Shizune…

They would think she didn't trust them anymore with this decision of hers to leave.

But still, her mind was stuck there, like there was no other option. And she knew there were _always _other options, but for some reason every fiber of her being felt like this was the best to take.

Yet, it was not…

And she had taken Naruto down this dirty road as well.

I was stubborn and selfish, she thought heavy-hearted.

But… this has to end…

Madara has to be defeated…

No more need to disappear or die…

No more…

"Sakura! Halt it!"

Sakura flinched and almost tripped over a tree branch, but swiftly managed to stay on her feet as she turned to see Naruto kneel on the ground behind her.

"What is it?" she asked worried that she had missed any sign of danger.

He glanced at her with a frown.

"Someone has been following us a long time now."

Sakura gasped, shame falling over her shoulders as she hadn't realised a thing.

She scanned around tightening her black cloak around her body.

"I've been trying to draw their attention, by leaving markings in different spots and even though we've been moving in circles they seem rather persistent-!"

"We've been moving in circles?" Sakura wondered.

Naruto's look frightened Sakura for it seemed like something was not matching. That something was wrong.

How come they've been moving in circles and she hadn't noticed, she thought listening to the increasing beating of her heart.

Naruto was about to speak, but they heard some cracking and they both froze in their steps.

Sakura shot her right hand to her shurinken holster tied around her right thigh and grabbed four shurinken between her fingers.

They both jumped up the trees, landing on different branches. Naruto was holding one kunai in each hand scanning the darkness.

Only cries of owls and the song of the crickets echoed in the silent forest.

It all seemed to be normal again, when that same cracking sound echoed again.

Sakura noticed that Naruto had fixed his eyes on one spot and she followed him. But her angle from that position only showed trees towards that direction. Shadows playfully danced creating strange figures. For a moment she swore she saw a black cloak dance around shadows of arms holding something.

She blinked and looked there again, but it was clear they were only shadows from the leaves.

Sakura realized she was panting and the shurinken were now slipping due to the sweat on her palms.

_Wake up!_ She heard all of a sudden her inner voice shout and Sakura dropped one of the shurinken.

Sakura searched for Naruto but he was no longer on the opposite tree branch.

She felt her heart stop and looked around.

What happened, she thought, fear flooding her heart and numbness take over her limbs.

She jumped down grunting with the stab through her wound.

Naruto was standing there and some strange silhouette was standing next to him.

She came closer and gasped with surprise.

"Chie-chan!"

Chie was kneeling on the ground next to an unconscious Yamato who was dressed in his ANBU uniform.

"What are you doing here?" she asked looking down at Yamato.

She could feel Naruto's stare scanning her, but she tried not to give much attention to it.

Something had happened just now that caused her to black out, and Naruto seemed to have noticed. She hadn't been herself ever since they left Konoha. She hadn't realized that they had been followed and it seemed she had agreed for Naruto and her to move in circles to confuse them, but that she couldn't remember. And what happened just now…

Was she imagining things…

Had she, perhaps, been casted under some genjutsu again…

"What did you do that for?" Naruto woke suddenly Sakura from her deep thoughts.

She glanced at him seeing him looking at Chie.

Chie was wearing a small backpack and was dressed in a traveler's outfit, a long dark cloak was hanging over her shoulders and was wearing a dress over short leggings and bandages were tied around her thighs.

"I followed him following you, and I guessed that he was one of those weird shinobi who had been following Sakura-san all this time. I had been watching them a long time now following you supposedly invisible. Well, I guess they were invisible for you!" Chie chuckled and looked at Sakura.

Sakura frowned. It still felt her mind was too blank to remember anything.

Why did everything seem to be so distant…

"You need to go back, Chie-chan!" Naruto told her in a serious tone.

"No way! I helped you out here with this guy. He had already called for reinforcements to catch you. He was really determined to not let you go. But if we run quickly and -!"

"_We?_ Chie, you're going back as Naruto said! What we do has nothing to do with you. Please go!" Sakura shot harshly.

Chie look concerned at her.

"Why? I can help! Whatever it is you're going to do, I won't stand in your way. I just… want to help!" Chie argued.

"I said no! It's too dangerous!" Sakura said strictly.

Naruto glanced at her with a worried frown.

"Sakura-chan!"

"What? I said no! Only Naruto is coming with me! Chie, you're going back _now_!" Sakura growled, feeling suddenly her insides too heavy to bear.

"But-!"

"Chie, shut up and go!" Sakura said with a voice she herself couldn't recognize. It was hoarse and deep and filled with anger.

Anger about some reason she couldn't determine, anger for things she didn't know. And now the decision to leave, the plan to find out what Madara was after, the fight that awaited and the end that was closing by were like a monster ready to swallow her…

None of it was Chie's fault, or Naruto's. And now she was disappointing them both. She was disappointing them all…

"Sakura, you've changed!" Chie said silently like she couldn't believe what she was saying.

Sakura frowned shocked.

Chie was looking deep in her eyes. She moved closer, almost touching Sakura with her nose. Sakura was slightly taller than the girl, but under this intense stare of hers she felt so small.

Chie was able to see through people's souls by simply searching the emotions drawn on someone's face.

Sakura felt unable to move.

Chie tried to search Sakura's face, and her lips were pressed together while her eyes were drawn with great wonder and worry. The silence that followed made Sakura lose her breathing rate.

"Why are you always leaving, Sakura?"

Sakura gasped. Her lips parted, but the words she wanted to say faded into thin air.

"What?" is all she managed to say.

"Why are you always leaving? Why are you always giving up? Why?" Chie shouted at her.

Her dark brown eyes got watery and Sakura got lost in those sparkling diamonds.

Indeed, _why?_

Why was she so weak. Why did it feel that everything she did always let someone down.

"You really think all will look up to you if you just go by yourself to find that strange guy and get yourself killed? You really think they will remember you as a hero?"

Sakura couldn't feel her hands anymore. The words swirled in her head like annoying insects and the song of the crickets felt like a drill through her skull.

Just like Chie's painful stare…

"If you do think like that, then you're surely mistaken! What you're doing is wrong! You'll only hurt more people's feelings like that!"

"Chie, you have no idea why I'm doing this!" Sakura said finding her normal voice again and was about to step away.

It felt like a thousand kunais were forced through her body being under this stare of hers. But Chie grabbed her forearms tight.

"Then tell me, Sakura! This is no simple mission you're going, is it? You're going to give yourself up, right?" Chie insisted.

"You're wrong, Chie-chan!" Naruto said suddenly.

"Did _he_ tell you this?" Sakura asked glancing at the unconscious Yamato.

"No, I guessed it myself knowing you!"

"Then you don't know me at all!" Sakura shot and forced herself free from Chie's grip.

"Sakura, this is the problem! I've been watching you, and it seems you're acting this way with everybody! Nobody knows who you are!"

Sakura froze and turned around to look at Chie. She noticed Naruto looking at his feet with the corner of her eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sakura, you know how much I look up to you! When I first met you, you… you were a mess. But still you gave me all the attention I was looking for! No one saw me like a real kunoichi before, because of my lack in proper shinobi education. But… you did and ever since, I promised to myself to become as strong as you! I watch how you fight, I try to find out what you're thinking during battle and I try to become like you! But… " Chie looked away for the first time from Sakura's eyes to dry her tears. "… ever since we came to Konoha together, and you were always in secret meetings with this Hokage, or Naruto, I noticed that… you've changed."

Chie sighed.

"You became too focused in things I didn't know. I was shut out from you. But not only me! I noticed how you were acting weird with my mum, with Kakashi-sama, with everyone who came to visit you in the hospital! It was like you suddenly turned back to that mess you were when we first met. Like you can't see beyond your own pain, like being with people who care about you is too much to handle! I… I feared you'd do something stupid, but Naruto assured me you were fine, so I tried to calm down." Chie said and paused looking down at her palms.

"But I had this feeling that something was not right and that's when I followed you this afternoon to some old house. You were in so much pain, and I knew that this pain I had once seen rotting your heart had returned." Chie looked up at Sakura.

Sakura inhaled with difficulty, feeling like being awakened from a bad dream.

Hearing her friend say these words, it was like she herself was unable to determine all that made her heart so heavy, but Chie knew.

Knowing though, didn't soothe this heaviness.

That monster that was threatening to eat her alive was always there. Haunting her even when she was awake, lurking in the corners of her mind.

The pain that was rotting my heart, she thought.

Was it really changing her. Was it the real reason she felt so ashamed with everything she did. Was it this that she wanted to abandon everyone so badly and leave everything behind, hoping that when she returned it all would change to the better…

Was she so wrong…

Her head felt too heavy and she let it fall touching her collarbone with her chin.

_It's not everybody else that has changed… it's me!_ The inner voice said.

"Sakura! Please, don't shut us out! It's better you don't fight this on your own." Chie said, like she had regretted for being so honest before. She approached Sakura and hesitated to touch her hand.

"Chie! Please go!" Sakura repeated, unable to make this one step forward she so deeply desired to do. She wanted to tell, she wanted to scream out loud how much afraid she was, how much angry she was and how much it hurt to let everybody out.

Once she was not hesitant to show her affection to Sasuke or her happiness when he called her with her name or when she made her parents and teachers proud. Now she barely smiled and the tears had become her forever companion. She couldn't express her true feelings to anyone. Like a cage filled with chakra had imprisoned her, suppressing her need to get free and _be free_.

"Sakura-!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Sakura shouted.

The world turned upside down when a burning slap hit her cheek. Sakura leaned on her knees as an intense dizziness took over her head.

"Why are you so… so self-destructive, huh?" Chie shouted, causing the owls and crickets to become silent.

Sakura felt the strong slap of Chie burn her skin.

"_You're not as alone as you think_!"

Sakura looked up at Chie and straightened her body, her own hand touching gently the print of Chie's frustration on her face.

"You won't save anyone if you go and fight like this! I can see how ashamed you are of yourself. You know that what you're doing is wrong, but you still keep going, aren't you? Why? Do you even know why?"

Sakura felt shocked with this determination of Chie's.

But the truth in her words was too much to bear…

"Because some things just have to end. One way or another!" Sakura said hardly.

"They will only end for _you_, because you'll have been self-destructed long before you reach the finish line!" Chie shouted, new tears flowing on her red cheeks.

"Think logically! If you continue like this, you'll end up all alone in the end facing no one else but yourself. Will you be able to fight this fight then? Fight your own self? Sakura, if you reach that, there's no turning back! So, please, don't!"

Sakura wanted to scream. She wanted to release this anger inside of her. Anger towards her own self.

Of course she knew this all was wrong, but Madara was after her. Why did it have to be somebody else.

She alone had to make it through and bring this chaos to an end.

Bring it all to an end… so that Naruto could live and become Hokage, so that Chie could become a strong kunoichi, so that Kakashi could live happy and healthy with Rin, so that Sasuke hadn't died in vain, so that her parents could think proudly of her…

Wasn't this motive enough to keep her sane until the end…

Sakura collapsed on her knees, feeling the moist of the night on the grass.

The eyes were burning, the heart was beating fast and the world seemed to have seized spinning. Time had frozen and the nightmares of her lifetime grabbed her and dragged her deep into the cold, black abyss.

No…

This motive was not enough…

It's not enough until you find out who _you are_, and trust your own self.

Chie was right, Sakura thought. If I go on like this, I'll end up all alone. And I've never been alone, I was just the one who shut them all out of my life. Just like three years ago…

Sasuke had died, and it felt like the whole world had fallen in ruins around her. But she couldn't see all the faces that watched over her all this time. They were there… they were always there…

_And all I did was to disappoint them and ignore their love and care about me…_

And now, I'm doing it all over again, she thought and released her tearful face from her palms gasping as she saw Chie and Naruto kneeling in front of her with concerned looks. Chie was crying as well.

"Sakura! We won't stand in your way, but please don't shut us down! Don't bottle it all up inside of you! P-please!"

"Chie!" Sakura said after a sob.

"We're here for you!"

Chie hugged Sakura and hid her face in her pink hair.

"I love you, Sakura! I don't want to lose you!" Chie said and tightened her arms around Sakura more.

"I love you too, Chie!" Sakura said and curled in her friend's embrace. Feeling the warmth of another being soothing her own coldness felt so relieving. Like the warm water on cold hands, like the first sunrays after a cold night.

For a long moment, Sakura calmed herself listening to the steady heartbeat of Chie and the warm exhaling on the side of her face. She leaned then her chin on Chie's shoulder and opened her eyes to see Naruto looking deep in her eyes with a smile.

Sakura could see behind her tears, that Naruto looked happy again. Even relieved, and his eyes were sparkling like the morning sky. Beautiful, soothing the heaviness on her heart by simply looking into them.

She kept her eyes fixed on his longer than she intended, which she noticed when Naruto's smile faded and gave place to an anticipating and blushing expression. Suddenly, she heard her heart beat twice in a second and she broke her hug with Chie.

"I'm sorry for worrying you!" Sakura told Chie.

The girl smiled happily and held Sakura's hands.

"I-I was wrong. From the beginning! But… I can't go back now. Naruto and I… we have a plan and I can't risk it having more people in it. I'm already worried to death having Naruto with me, I don't think I'll be able to watch over you as well without dying of worry! This mission is like any other neither of us has attended." Sakura told her.

Naruto stood up and placed his hands on his hips. He was hiding his face by looking over his shoulder.

"You don't have to worry about her! I'll watch over her!" he said with this unmistaken determined tone that always made Sakura feel somehow more optimistic.

He turned around to look at her, and she felt like flying when she saw his broad grin.

She couldn't help but chuckle and the sound made every shadow of misery in her heart disappear.

"Thank you! Thank you both!" Sakura looked at Chie who was trying desperately to stop crying.

"Oh Chie!" Sakura said and this time she was the first to hug her.

She heard Naruto's deep chuckle and time suddenly started to tick again, the world was spinning again and the nightmares that had awakened were suppressed and destroyed by her inner self.

After a long emotional moment, Chie and Sakura broke the hug and stood up facing the unconscious Yamato.

"Really, what did you do to him?" Naruto wondered smirking.

"Don't worry! He's just sleeping. I used a herb that makes the nerves go numb until the brain shuts down into a deep sleep. My mum gave me them. But it's actually the first time I use it." Chie said, looking worried.

Sakura kneeled and placed her palms above the metallic shield that was protecting Yamato's torso and forced chakra into them to read his vital signs. His heart was beating normally.

"Yes, he's just sleeping. But what shall we do with him?" Sakura wondered.

"Well, we can't take him with us, that's for sure!" Naruto said folding his arms behind his head.

"Yeah, but we have to leave as well before his comrades find his trails."

"I have an idea!" Naruto said suddenly and bounced looking really satisfied with himself.

Sakura smiled at him, feeling happy seeing her friend in his good old self again. Seeing Naruto worried broke her heart…

So, Chie created a shadow clone in Yamato-sensei's form, while Sakura created a water clone as Naruto and they created fake footprints that led towards the east. Naruto was following them, carrying Yamato on his back, from another path so that his footprints didn't mess with the others.

They hid Yamato in a small cave, leaving some supplies as they all felt guilty for leaving him here in the wilderness and causing him so much trouble.

As dawn was closing by, Naruto, Chie and Sakura together made their way to the north, to the Land of Snow.

________________

Tsunade almost fell over her chair when Tenzo himself announced that Sakura along with Naruto and Rin-san's daughter had fled from the village to find Uchiha Madara.

"How on earth did this happen without us realizing a single thing?" Tsunade growled standing up her feet hitting her fists on her desk.

"I followed them, but it seemed that Chie-chan was assigned to follow after anyone who'd follow them. I… was tricked and there are no excuses. Forgive me, Hokage-sama!"

"Tenzo, did you know anything about this?" Tsunade asked him approaching him.

Tenzo flinched.

"All day, Naruto and Sakura had been talking secretly. They hid on the mountain. They talked about Uchiha Madara and his abilities. How to get past them and how to look for him. They mostly talked about how to fight the ability of Uchiha to read minds. Nothing more!" Tenzo said fighting to not look away from Tsunade's drilling stare.

"Don't you think this is enough to understand that Sakura was planning something?" Tsunade hissed.

Tenzo swallowed hardly, his palms getting sweaty.

"I talked to her, and…!"

"And what? What did she tell you?" Tsunade insisted, her eyes shining with maddening anger as she grabbed his forearm stopping the blood from running through it.

Tenzo wished the Hokage could be more self-controlled. She would still get her message through even without using force.

"Well?"

"Well, she said something that bothered me."

"Like what?"

Tsunade let go of his forearm, and Tenzo felt really relieved that his arm wouldn't be ripped off, but still being under Tsunade's angry stare was enough trouble.

Tenzo remembered Sakura's honest and thoughtful expression as she told him those words that had confused him so much.

"She told me that she knew they were being watched and that's why they always tried to keep out of hearing distance. That's when I reminded her that I can read lips, like every professional shinobi can. And she… she said simply that she knew!"

"So?" Tsunade wondered with a frown.

"Well, it was the way she said it; like she had it planned it me reading their lips. And it all made me think that maybe all I've been watching to all day long was nothing but an act. That they wanted in purpose for me to think that she would go after Uchiha."

Tsunade made a step back, giving Tenzo some air. She suddenly looked worried.

"But she _is _going after him, isn't she?" Tsunade said in a lower tone.

"Yes. But, if you want my opinion, I think we should trust her."

Tsunade shot him the angriest look he had ever received from the Hokage and it felt as though everything was his own fault.

"Why on earth is _this_ your opinion?" she hissed not believing her ears.

Tenzo noticed the night slowly enlighten with the warm red and orange colours of the morning sun from the huge window that looked over Konoha.

"Sakura-chan is different from the little chuunin she was. She's not the little girl I knew anymore. It was the first time I heard her talk about such personal things which I… didn't know. She had to go through such terrible experiences in a young age, and now she must feel like this all is her fault! Uchiha being after her and all. I mean, _I _would feel guilty to the bones if I were in her shoes!" Tenzo said looking at the clouds burning and the stars fade away in the intense sunlight.

Then he turned to look into Tsunade's honey brown eyes staring at him with dry, parted lips.

"I don't think she'd just go and give herself up like that. If Naruto and Chie-chan are with her, who are her best friends, that means she didn't leave just to surrender to Uchiha hoping this would end this war. If this was her plan, she'd go alone. She left with a plan; and it's obvious what that plan is!" Tenzo said feeling suddenly very proud of those kids.

He remembered back to the time when he was in their age and he had first become ANBU shinobi. This continuous excitement to get himself entangled in another adventure and the will and power in his soul that was enough for him to believe he could become the strongest shinobi in the five great shinobi lands.

And his dearest sister would look over him with a proud smile.

The same power and desire moved Sakura, Naruto and Chie. They were young, filled with hopes and dreams. Naruto and Sakura had seen their comrade die…

Of course they wanted to make this world a better place, and knowing that that's what made Sakura take this decision, he would support them all the way.

He didn't blame them for taking him down, he would have done the same exact thing.

"I think this is really dumb from Sakura's part! How on earth do they actually think they can make it?" Tsunade argued irritated with everything and everyone and walked up and down the Hokage office as she always did when her head became too crowded with problems.

"Maybe they can, maybe not!"

"Now really, Tenzo?" Tsunade wondered with a smirk.

"What I mean is that we could help them. Let them do their thing!"

"Tenzo, if you continue talking such crap I'm going to have you fired from the-!"

"Before you fire me, listen to me, Tsunade-sama!" Tenzo seldom used Tsunade's name, and she seemed to have noticed as she halted and looked seriously in his eyes.

"Shoot!" she muttered crossing her arms on her chest.

"They faked tracks of theirs towards the east, but as long as I was following them they were heading to the north, until they started moving in circles. That's when Chie caught up with me. Considering they know that Uchiha Madara has a past in the Land of Snow, this is where they're heading."

"Jiraya is there. He's running an investigation about Uchiha's past there."

"Maybe they're going to search for Jiraya. Or maybe Chie-chan knows someone who might know."

"Why would that girl know someone from the Land of Snow? She's from the Village of the Golden Path, right?"

Tenzo shook his head.

"Her father comes from the Land of Snow. I have no idea who he is, but it seems he has died a long time ago according to Rin-san."

Tsunade looked thoughtful for a moment.

"What are you suggesting?" she looked at him.

"Sakura said she has a plan, and if we assume Uchiha is really after her, then I believe we should give her the chance to find him. She's able to, I know it and you know it as well. All of the previous missions to find Uchiha or Kuroi failed, and it seems that the on-going missions are not going well also. So… let's give them a chance!"

Tsunade brushed her palm over her face with a grunt.

"I can't just leave it like that, Tenzo!"

"We won't! Uchiha reads minds, right? We can be there for them, only when the time is right. Naruto and Sakura won't need to know, so Uchiha and his accomplices, who will be too focused on them, will never know that we have their back!" Tenzo smiled liking his idea.

Tsunade lifted an eyebrow and stayed silent for a long moment.

"Have their back, huh?"

"Mhmm!" Tenzo nodded. "Let's trust them on this!"

Tsunade seemed hesitant. She even pulled her hair as she walked to the window and gazed at the sunrise.

"Uchiha is no normal shinobi, Tenzo. How am I supposed to wait for the _right time_ when they are facing such a powerful shinobi? When he came to me… I've never been so scared before against another shinobi I didn't know about. It was like I was face to face with the devil himself. So, I can't just agree with your idea… . I-I do trust Sakura, but still I fear for her life. For Naruto's and Rin's daughter's lives as well. I'm the Hokage, dammit! Of course I'm worried!"

Tenzo glanced at the fists of hers hanging on her sides.

"Let me think about it! For the meantime you rest, you've been up non-stop for a long time now."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama!"

"Thank you, Tenzo!"

Tenzo smiled with Tsunade's brief moment of expressing her feelings to him and left the Hokage building, wondering whether Kakashi should know of what had happened if he had woken up already…

______________

The sun had risen and the light filtered through the dense blanket of leaves that extended up to the borders of the Fire Country.

Sparrows and squirrels fought their way over the branches trying to survive another day, while huge eagles soared high in the sky scanning the ground and the trees with their sharp eyes.

Sakura lifted her head to let her eyes blur with freckles of light as the sunrays infiltrated through the leaves and she shut them to enjoy for a moment the beauty of this new day. A day which felt so much lighter upon her shoulders.

Chie was running beside her, her cloak packed in her backpack and Naruto was on the front keeping an eye on their surroundings.

Sakura inhaled deeply feeling the fresh air renew her insides and give her even more happiness.

After last night, heading towards the snakepit didn't seem so dreadful of scary anymore. Since her two best friends were with her and had her back all the way, and she had theirs, everything seemed possible. Even the idea of the _end _didn't frighten her or drown her heart with sorrow anymore. Now there was this little glimpse of hope lingering that maybe, maybe, they could make it out alive…

And she smiled with that thought.

Things never go according to the plan. This she had learned a long time ago. But still, they all three were powerful enough and had a great teamwork.

_I just hope Yamato-sensei didn't become stupid all of a sudden!_ Her inner voice added to her thoughts with a worried expression.

Sakura grinned remembering that scared look on his face last night when she revealed to him her plan.

I'm sure he got my message, what I fear most though is whether Tsunade will agree, she thought.

She trusted Yamato-sensei and all those words, although they had not carefully been slipped from her mouth, she thought they were enough to give him the message that this mission was no desperate act of some chuunin for glory, but a carefully planned one which even held hope of success.

_What happened happened! Let's focus on the present!_ Her inner self told her.

Exactly, she thought and glanced at Chie next to her.

She was looking rather pleased with herself. One specific jonin must be flowering her thoughts like this, she thought.

Chie realized Sakura's cunning smile and she swung her fist at her.

"Don't act like you know what I'm thinking about!" the girl warned her.

Sakura grinned.

"You're the one who always acts like a know-it-all!" Sakura teased her.

It was great to have the chance to act so freely with someone. When she said such insulting but fun things with Chie, she forgot for a moment the reality in which they lived in.

"Ha! It's because you're an easy person to read!" Chie said and looked ahead.

"Oh really?" Sakura lifted an eyebrow.

Chie looked at her with a smirk and then glanced at Naruto and then back at her, like she was showing her Naruto with her eyes.

Sakura frowned not really understanding what Chie implied.

Chie chuckled.

"Hey Naruto-kun, how long until we reach the borders?" Chie asked the blonde jonin. His black cloak was floating over his shoulders like the wings of a bat.

He looked at her over his shoulders.

"Hmm! Three days or something if you can keep up with me!" he said with a wide smile and he disappeared in the woods.

Sakura grunted annoyed.

What was he doing.

"Hey! Naruto!" Sakura shouted at him, but he was far away.

Chie nodded happily and she increased her speed to catch up with Naruto.

Really. We are after Uchiha Madara and they act like we're on holiday, she thought and ran faster.

The sunrays were so intense now that they created strange shadows between the hundreds of trees and the bushes on the ground.

After only a couple of minutes, the wound on her stomach was stabbing her guts so hard she collapsed on her knees over a tree branch panting.

She grunted in pain, her head spinning, and lifted her black dress to reveal the bloody bandages around her stomach.

"Shit!"

She looked around her hoping someone would have noticed she stayed behind, but the forest was too quiet.

She leaned her back on the main branch and placed her palm over her belly sending chakra through her destroyed tissues of the wound.

If it continued bleeding over and over again, she'd have greater issues than Uchiha later.

She had to heal it for good, but she doubted she had enough chakra to do such a procedure on her own on her own body. It's always easier to heal others. That's also one reason why medic-nins stay out of battle.

She could feel the chakra flow increase as it healed each cell of the wound, from the inside out. The stabbings didn't seize and she couldn't help but moan in pain.

She felt like she would faint, as the energy was being drained from her body.

Her turquoise eyes turned upwards to look at the blue sky and the feathery clouds floating so calmly. A breeze caressed her face and she made the mistake to close her eyes falling asleep in the beautiful song the sounds of the forest made. The rustling of the leaves, the birdsongs, the grass dancing to the rhythm of the breeze and voices from the past.

Sasuke's and Naruto's chuckle the night they had spend together the day Sasuke had returned, the song in the bar and her own laughter when they talked about funny memories of their days as genins.

The happiness drawn on the faces of the two people she loved the most. Her first love and the boy who was always in love with her. Two comrades who always watch over you and love you in their own unique ways.

Sasuke and Naruto…

Naruto and Sasuke…

"Sakura-chan! Hey sleeping beauty!"

Sakura hardly opened her eyes to see the morning sky staring at her.

Naruto grinned and shoved away some strands from her face. The gentle touch of his fingertips on her cheeks made her heart flatter.

"What-what happened?" she asked and hid a deep yawn.

"You must have fainted from bleeding. I'm sorry not being good in medic-stuff. I… I did my best!" Naruto said with a disappointed look.

Sakura lifted her dress and saw new bandages wrapped over the old ones and the stabbings had stopped.

She smiled at him.

"Thank you! It doesn't hurt anymore!" she said stroking her stomach. She could still fell her heartbeat there, but at least it didn't hurt. But still she had to be more careful from now on.

"We should take it easy, until you can run properly without opening it up." Chie suggested. She was eating her lunch and offered some warm tea to Sakura.

"Thanks!" she replied and took a sip from the warm liquid.

She looked at her bloody palms.

"I'm sorry for delaying the mission." She said in an undertone.

Chie and Naruto exchanged glances.

"Don't worry about it. Besides we all had rough nights. I don't think it hurts to rest a little. There'll be little time later to rest also!" Naruto said and leaned next to Sakura, his shoulder touching hers.

Chie smiled happily and stuffed another ball of rice before packing her things back in her bag.

"I'll stay awake. You rest, Chie-chan!" Naruto said folding his arms behind his head.

Chie lifted her eyebrows.

"Really? If you want to sleep I don't mind!"

"No! It's ok! You guys sleep!"

"_Guys_?"

Sakura chuckled and Chie stick her tongue out at Naruto.

Naruto laughed hard and glanced at Sakura with the corner of his eyes.

"If anything happens, give a shout!" Chie said and lied on her cloak over the big tree branch.

Sakura observed how Chie tried desperately to make herself comfortable on the hard wood. It was much easier to find a soft spot on the ground, but up here they were out of any stranger's path. Besides Sakura didn't feel ready to move yet.

"You sleep as well. You need to rest the most of us!" Naruto whispered to her calmly.

Sakura smiled with his concerned look and felt a blush over her face as she leaned her head over his chest and curled under his arm.

Naruto flinched and she could feel how stiff his body had become.

She waited until he was back to normal and loosened up. His arm shifted in order to keep her closer to his chest and she closed her eyes falling quickly asleep listening to Naruto's heartbeat and imagining the blush on his face.


	37. Running

Yasuhiro leaned his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

The wind was so forceful that it threatened to sweep him over his feet and the bad thing was that any sound was drowned by the rustling sound of the trees.

He grunted and, making sure his kusarigama was still tied on the belt around his waist in its sheath, he continued running away.

His limbs felt ready to collapse and his head was burning with the bloody memories of the slaughter of his entire family in front of his eyes. His grandmother, his parents, his little sister Aya and his older brother Katsuro…

All dead by a man with the most evil eyes he had ever seen. Red irises and pupils so small they got lost in the glowing flames of his Sharingan.

The man had managed to get away before he could take his revenge, and seeing the faces of his beloved ones swirl in his head filled with blood, leftovers of their insides and fear carved on their last expressions, he wanted to scream out loud. The anger inside of him was building up crushing his sorrowful heart and eliminating every little piece of happiness or joy that once lingered in his life.

The sadness had yet to be revealed.

There was none in his heart, only anger and loathing for this cruel world they were living in.

He remembered how his clan was such an unfortunate one; hunted down by everyone who seeked power and glory. His family was the last one left according to his grandfather's stories.

_Wrong! I'm the last one left!_ That inner voice corrected him and he grunted annoyed hearing this voice again.

It had been quiet in his head ever since he fled from his home, but now it had returned increasing the anger inside of him.

Yasuhiro heard footsteps not far away from him.

The wound on his back from the battle with the murderer of his family was becoming too painful to handle, so he jumped up a tree. Drops of sweat tickled his face and he wiped them away, not realizing that they were mixed with tears as well.

He leaned on a tree branch and scanned the vicinity trying to keep his panting silent.

His right hand instinctively shot to the handle of his kusarigama.

"You can't run forever!" he heard a laughing voice shout from the ground.

He saw movements from his left and he hid behind the tree calming down his breathing rate.

Yasuhiro saw from the corner of his dark turquoise eyes one man leading a group of other three.

Yasuhiro frowned.

Where is the one with the Sharingan, he thought nervously. Was he really that bad wounded that he fled, he wondered and kept his eyes fixed on this man's followers who had been there when the one with the Sharingan slaughtered his family. Men who had been standing by and watching as Yasuhiro fought their leader and defeated him.

Now they seeked revenge for their leader. Yasuhiro wouldn't fear fighting them, but he was out of chakra and wounded as well. It was pure luck he was still running and had his senses alert.

He observed the one shinobi leading. He had noticed him wear this disgusting smirk when the shinobi with the Sharingan was fighting him. He had long cupper red hair, falling over his shoulders and hiding his face. A strange tattoo extended from his neck over to his right cheek and his eyes were the eyes of a falcon, like they could see things you couldn't.

Yasuhiro couldn't think properly anymore.

He had no options left; whether he'd continue running and eventually get caught since he had grown so weak, or he would have to confront them and die…

Now, life didn't seem meaningful anymore…

Alone in this world, there was no way he could make it through this life like this.

Knowing that if he'd not been so preoccupied in his battle with Katsuro maybe _this _would not have happened. Or maybe he'd just have died along with his beloved ones…

Running away was no option…

He didn't mind what fate hold for him anymore…

_You're strong, you can do it! _The inner voice praised him and Yasuhiro clenched his fists and grabbed his kusarigama causing the chain to cling in the silence of the forest and the sphere that was hanging at the end of the chain covered with fatal spikes hit the tree branch with such force it smashed the wood in two.

Yasuhiro jumped down the tree and landed in front of the tattooed man and his companions.

"Wise decision to show up!" the man said with an ironic grin.

"What do you want from my clan?" Yasuhiro asked fighting the urge to attack right away and erase this arrogant smirk from the man's face.

He chuckled in response, and his companions followed his example.

"Your _clan?_ Your clan was wiped out long before you were even born! We want nothing from your clan, as you say! We only want you!"

Yasuhiro shifted the position of his kusarigama from his right side to his front.

"Me? Then why did you have to kill everyone- everyone else, huh?"

"It's not really something you should know now-!"

"Are you making fun of me?" Yasuhiro shouted with a trembling voice.

"Well, let me enjoy it a little. I barely get the chance to act all strong and mighty here!"

"_I'll kill you!_" Yasuhiro yelled madly, not believing his ears. How could people think this way, so twisted and insane.

"You defeated the strongest shinobi alive, kid! You should be very proud of yourself!"

Yasuhiro froze, suddenly his grip around his kusarigama numb.

What mind game was that, what was that shinobi talking about.

"Wh-what?"

"You have no idea whom you fought?" the tattooed man frowned in surprise and glanced over his shoulders at his companions and they all started laughing loud simultaneously.

Yasuhiro was getting out of control.

They _were_ making fun of him. And on top of that they were also making fun of their leader, the one who had wiped out his family.

If they were talking about that man with the Sharingan, then they had to be mistaken. He couldn't be _the_ _strongest shinobi alive_.He was indeed strong, he had to admit that, but still he didn't seem like he had the complete control over his abilities and limits. Unlike Yasuhiro, who had given his all in that battle.

Those were matters he didn't really have the power to think of. All he wanted was to end this.

End this and leave this world with honor, fighting for his lost beloved ones…

"The one you defeated, kid, was none else than the famous Uchiha Madara! Does that name remind you of something?" the man told in a serious tone looking back in Yasuhiro's eyes.

Yasuhiro furrowed his eyebrows and searched the expressions on the four shinobis' faces. They all looked suddenly serious, some even angry.

_Uchiha…_

They were the strongest clan once upon a time. Of course, he thought, they are the ones that possess the Sharingan. Grandfather had told about them. But it was said that the other clans sent them away because of their rabidness for power, resulting to the reduction of their numbers and their influence over the five great shinobi lands.

He had never heard the name Uchiha Madara before, so he didn't mind whether he was indeed the strongest shinobi alive. He was a lifeless, mad murderer, that's all he needed to know, and though he hadn't killed him, he had wounded him seriously.

Now he wished he had killed him the moment that man with his Sharingan deactivated was on the ground by Yasuhiro's knees moaning in pain. He wished he hadn't hesitated giving him the chance to flee.

He wished he had been less emotional and just made his heart stone for only a brief second.

Just one second enough to chop off that Uchiha's head…

"I don't care even if he were the Tsuchikage himself! If I ever see him again I'll make sure he'll never breathe air from this world again and my face will be the last one he'll see, so that he'll remember why he ended up like this!" Yasuhiro shouted at him with all his might, his heart bounding loud, his head spinning fast and his heart hurting like it never did before.

Tears as warm as his insides flowed down his face and a beautiful sensation of relief flooded his heart with the hope that his wish would become true…

Take revenge and kill Uchiha Madara…

"How did you do it?" the tattooed man asked.

"Do what?"

"Defeat Uchiha!"

Yasuhiro noticed a katana hanging from the man's waist and his hand clenched around the kusarigama's handle tighter.

"I never lost my attention from the battle, unlike him!" he replied simply, weighting his body properly in order to strike. His feet moved slightly on the ground and he tried to remember every little detail of his surroundings as he had observed them previously when he was lurking on the tree branch.

The trees were not dense on that area and he had plenty of space to run and confuse them, while he could create water clones. The tall pine trees had the perfect shape for someone to hide and not be seen, while the ground was filled with small hills and wild animals and there were no hide-outs on the ground.

He hoped they were not familiar with the place here as he was, so there might be some chance for him to survive.

This would only happen if he could wipe them out one by one, while the others were too occupied in something else, like chasing clones. And assuming they didn't know the area…

"You have great potential kid, and you should take advantage of it! You could rule the lands with this strange power of yours!" the shinobi said crossing his muscular arms on his chest.

"Is it really so extra-ordinary for this Uchiha to be defeated? Are you really overestimating him that much?" Yasuhiro asked disgusted with this adoration they showed for that murderer.

The man chuckled lifting an eyebrow.

"You know nothing obviously, so let me give you some history lesson!" he said.

Yasuhiro lifted his kusarigama up. The three shinobi who were standing next to the tattooed one shifted immediately in an attack-posture, but the tattooed man signaled them to stay put.

"I don't care about your histo-!"

"Oh, you _will_ listen, because you're already intrigued to find out more about the murderer of your family in order to use it against him. Or am I wrong?"

Yasuhiro flinched slightly.

He stayed silent his eyes fixed on the shinobi's blue ones. The Sharingan with that strange markings swirling in the red irises came back in his mind.

"As I thought!" the shinobi muttered and made one step closer.

Yasuhiro was ready to hit him with his weapon, but he didn't seem to intend on attacking, so he stayed still.

"Uchiha Madara was the founder of the Village Hidden in the Leaves and once the leader of the Uchiha clan. He was betrayed by both his village and his family, as a result he seeks for revenge. Just like you!"

Yasuhiro pressed his lips together.

"He is searching for strong shinobi who look his perspective. Shinobi who have no fear to change this world to a better place." The tattooed man continued.

Yasuhiro gritted his teeth.

"_By killing innocent people_?" he growled.

"By creating the appropriate circumstances to bring the strong shinobi forth! To show to the few chosen ones what this world is like. To reveal the true face of this world the so-called-optimistic shinobi and non-shinobi created. We all have been blind for too long, and Uchiha Madara showed us the real thing. He put light on the truth we feared to face. And the few who can confront this reality are the ones with the real potential to change the world!"

Yasuhiro felt sweat on his palms, so he tightened his grip around his weapon.

"_Chosen ones_?" he wondered out loud.

"Like me. Like you!"

Yasuhiro felt no oxygen reach his brain as his eyes flickered to the four men before he fixed on the tattooed shinobi.

"I don't give a damn about your fucking plans about chosen ones and changing the world! Who are you to cause war in the finally peaceful lands?" he argued, his voice trembling again with anger.

"You don't want to see the truth. You're still blinded by the murder of your dear family, but later, when you think more about it, you'll see! You'll learn!"

"There's nothing to learn than where the hell this chicken Uchiha is hiding!"

"It's not Uchiha who killed your family!"

Yasuhiro punched the air in front of him in frustration.

"Don't fool me, you son of a bitch! He was holding the katana filled with their blood and brains! Of course _he killed them_!"

"If you hadn't been so lost in this innocent battle of yours against your brother, you would have seen that Uchiha was after you from the beginning. But your beloved brother stood in the way!"

Yasuhiro opened his eyes wide open, his heart felt like shattering in his chest.

"What?"

"We watched your battle, and it was clear who was the strongest and most determined of the two. You hid under your kusarigama thinking it was your brother who attacked you, but it was Uchiha who wanted to encounter you and measure your abilities. If you had not been hiding under your weapon, your family would still be alive! So think it over, whose fault it was!"

Yasuhiro felt the sweat become too much on his palms, as a result the weapon slipped through his hand and hit the ground with a loud metallic cling.

What was this crushing feeling inside his heart…

These tormenting thoughts of guilt and loathing for his own self…

The silence had become unbearable in his head, and suddenly his surroundings had become as dark as the midnight sky in the deepest ends of a cave and as cold as the coldest night in the northern part of the Land of Snow.

He collapsed, his palms shutting down his ears as the silence was filled with imaginary screams of pain and fear. Familiar voices…

Too familiar voices…

And then silence again, as each one of his family let their last breathe in this world…

"Think it over! You won't get away from us!" Yasuhiro heard the man's deep voice next to his ear, but he didn't move, he didn't even flinch. He just stayed there, his knees on the ground, his hands hiding his face from the day.

"You _are_ a chosen one!" he heard the whisper again and then Yasuhiro drowned in his own tears as pain was all he felt…

________________

Sakura shot from her sleep and found herself panting.

She looked up as soon as she realized that all was just a dream…

Sasuke had been there, along with strange figures. She had only seen their shadows, and Sasuke was leading them towards the edge of the mountain with the faces of the Five Hokages. She had seen his Sharingan before he led the unknown, yet familiar shadows over the edge until their screams were no longer heard.

And then it was her turn…

And Sasuke simply offered her his hand guiding her slowly to the edge of the mountain. She had looked down at her village which had been caught in flames, but she had been not afraid. She had only felt a strange kind of apathy as she just obeyed Sasuke's guidelines.

She had smiled to Sasuke, but he had just looked into her eyes with a cool look, and she had already made the first step, when suddenly the flames all over the village had disappeared and the dead shadows had given their place to small gravels of the mountain.

The hand that was holding hers was not Sasuke's, but Naruto's.

And he was looking at her with a worried look, like he was thinking that she was crazy.

She had been confused and she had been staring for too long at the village, searching for any sign of those serpents made of fire, but all seemed normal. And everything felt normal, like the warm, tight grip around her hand and the arm that curled around her back. Naruto had looked deep in her eyes and had smiled at her a smile she had never seen before.

But it was all a dream…

"Sakura! Are you ok?" she heard Chie's concerned voice from the darkness.

She followed her voice and saw her approaching with a quick pace.

Her short hair was tied in a small bun, as some strands danced around her round face.

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

"You were talking in your sleep." She commented glancing at the snoring Naruto lying on the other side of the small fire they had made.

His one arm was lying over his head hiding his eyes, while his mouth was wide open leaving loud snoring sounds and moans.

"It was just… an intense dream." Sakura said looking at Naruto.

She turned to look at Chie, black circles all around her eyes.

It was the third day since they had left Konoha, and they were still travelling through the dense woods of the Fire Country. The scenery hadn't changed a bit, but thankfully they were approaching the Village of the Eleven Bears, a small village located only a day away from the borders of the Fire Country and the Land of Snow.

There Sakura hoped she'd find proper herb shops in order to make a healing cream for her wound on her stomach.

It had stopped bleeding, but it still made Sakura unable to run as she wanted. She got easily tired and sometimes the pain was so intense she thought her stomach would tear apart any time.

"Do you want me to take over the watch?" she whispered to Chie.

The girl tightened her cloak around her body and shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. Besides it's soon dawn. Rest as long as you have, Sakura!" she told her calmly and walked away to take her place over a rock, where she had a surrounding view of the vicinity, as much as the dense trees provided them.

Sakura wanted to insist in taking over the rest of the shift, but Chie was far to listen and she didn't want to wake Naruto up, although he was not the type that wakes up easily.

Both Naruto and Chie had been treating Sakura as a patient for the last three days, and sometimes it was getting too irritating. This was supposed to be her mission, and she had dragged in a way Naruto and Chie with her. It felt like she was taking advantage of their friendship, although it was not like that.

She sighed and lied back down on her futon to look at the starry sky. The moon was nowhere to be seen from here. The trees were hiding most of the sky, and only a clearing was visible to the limitless sky.

What was this dream about, she wondered pulling up the blanket over her chest.

Why had she dreamed of Sasuke as evil.

It's just a dream, she reminded herself, but that weird smile Naruto had given her made her uneasy.

_Remember! Naruto's crazy about you!_ She heard her inner voice shout at her pointing a finger.

That's no news to me, she thought with a frown.

_Yeah, it's not. But hell you've never actually realized it, have you?_

Sakura glanced to her side to look at Naruto between the dancing flames of their camp fire. He seemed to enjoy the sleep and his lips were moving slightly.

He looked so peaceful, lost in the dreamtime, hopefully dreaming of something beautiful.

_He does look cute!_ Her inner self said with a high-pitched voice cupping her own face.

Sakura flinched and looked away.

No, that was her inner self's thoughts, not hers.

I should be worrying about more important things, like the fact that we're closing by the Land of Snow, where probably Madara is hiding…

_Whatever! It doesn't mean we can't have a little fun!_ The inner voice said with an irritated frown.

Have fun with Naruto, she thought intensely. Do not ever do that or I'll smash my own head to get rid of you, she thought addressing her sudden burst of anger to her inner self, whom she always saw with long hair.

Although she had short hair ever since that battle against the Sound shinobi during the chuunin exams, she always remembered this inner part of her having long, beautiful hair.

_Oh! Ok, ok! Don't get mad!_

I'm already mad, considering I pass my time talking to my own consciousness, she thought not hiding a smile.

_That's a nice joke!_

Yeah, isn't it, Sakura thought and chuckled silently.

There was no way she could sleep anymore, but it didn't matter to her.

She watched over Naruto as his dreams seemed to contain lots and lots of food as he shouted about ice cream over ramen, and chocolate over rice, something that caused Sakura to feel sick.

When the night sky started to lighten up, Chie came over and started packing her stuff and throwing sand over the fire.

Sakura stood up and walked over Naruto to wake him up.

He had turned now lying over his stomach. He had stopped snoring and his one cheek had folded over his arms.

"Hey, Naruto! Naruto wake up!" Sakura said with a rather loud voice. But Naruto slept like a log.

"Is he dead or something?" Chie wondered as she kicked the leftovers of the fire.

"No! He just doesn't wake up even if a meteorite crashes next to him!"

"Naruto! Wake up, you sleeping beauty!" she shouted, not hiding a chuckle as she used Naruto's words.

Naruto moved slightly, but still slept deep.

His eyes flickered under his eyelids.

Sakura wondered whether he was faking it to annoy her.

"Let's leave him here!" Chie said placing her hands over her hips.

Sakura shook him on his shoulder, starting to get pissed off with the blonde's stubbornness even in his sleep.

She had done many pranks when she was little and he wouldn't wake up; like throwing him ice cold water, or waking him up with genjutsu. Most of the times, he would still be sleeping with the only reaction of changing sleeping postures.

What could she do this time…

"Ehm Sakura! What are you doing?" Chie asked.

"Waking him up!" she said and leaned over his ear and brushed her hand through his short blond hair. Naruto flinched and let a small moan. Sakura came closer to his ear and when her lips almost touched his ear, she whispered to him.

"Hey, you silly!"

She observed how his eyelids slowly opened and his eyes flickered to hers. As he was trying to wake up, his pupils expanded in a second and then he shot up dragging his blanket along with him.

"Man! What was that for?" he shouted flushing.

Chie and Sakura exchanged glances and then burst into laughter.

Naruto looked at them with a questioning look.

"Hey! What's so funny?" he asked annoyed moving his hands in front of his face.

"You really are a stubborn sleeper! Sakura was right about all of the stories!" Chie said once she could speak again.

"Huh? What stories?"

"Well, Sakura has told me many of your goofy adventures! Like when your sensei was so pissed off with you not waking up that they hang you from a tree upside down, or when Sakura came into your dreams as a huge, pink coackroach!" Chie laughed again in remembrance of those stories.

Sakura chuckled and met Naruto's annoyed look.

"You told her all this?"

"No wonder she calls you Naruto-kun now!" Sakura commented and smiled widely.

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows and folded his blanket clumsily putting it in his backpack.

"You'll pay for this!" he told her, sounding rather serious. But before he turned his back to her she noticed a glimpse of a cunning grin on his face.

"Well, let's get going! It'll be daylight and we'll be still fooling around here!" Chie said and when they all had packed their stuff and erased every sign or proof that they had been here, they continued their course north.

_______________

Back in Konoha, the sun had already risen and Kakashi yawned deeply as he slowly opened his eyes to the new day.

He felt like a corpse, like he had run around the globe and his limbs had grown numb. He could feel nothing, only a huge heaviness all over his body and a huge void in his head.

He focused on the street lamp across the window and tried to remember anything. A shadow, that's what he remembered.

A shadow standing on that rooftop under that street lamp, and then all was blank again.

It must have been a dream, he thought and turned his head to see that he was in a hospital room, with an empty chair by his side and colourful pattern on the walls.

No, wait, he corrected himself scanning around the room. They were baskets and plastic cups filled with flowers. He tried to smell them, and then he regretted it.

He sneezed loudly and hardly moved his hand to dry his face.

"What the-!"

The door suddenly shot open and Kakashi froze.

"KAKASHI!" a loud voice called and a flash of green soared like rocket over him, making him grunt in pain as it landed over him.

The bed screeched with the weight and Kakashi tried to distinguish who this annoying creature was.

The man pushed him from the shoulders and looked deep in his eyes with the broadest, whitest smile he had ever seen.

He swore he lost his eye sight for a brief moment.

"Gai! What the fuck are you doing?" he grunted pushing him away from him.

Gai was a tall jonin, who used to be in the same class as Kakashi. He was always the little kid who had no natural talents in being a shinobi, but he soon found out the real abilities in taijutsu. As a result, the little not-promising boy became a master in taijutsu and a well respected shinobi in Konoha and beyond. Kakashi always respected him, and was a great person to make fun of.

The smile faded when Gai scanned his friend's face, and Kakashi felt like a thunder had stroke on his head.

_My mask…_

"Wh-what happened to you?" Gai asked pointing at his face.

Kakashi quickly brushed his face, but it felt like the usual fabric was still on his face.

The relief he felt almost gave him back the hundred years he had lost with the fear that they had taken off his mask.

"What do you want?" Kakashi asked annoyed.

"Oh man! RIN-SAAAAAN!" Gai yelled, causing the windows to quake dangerously.

Kakashi stood up, leaning his back on the wall behind him and scratched the back of his head. Instinctively, his fingers went to his scar on his left eye and that's when he noticed that his eye was open, like his other one. But for some reason he was not looking through his Sharingan. He was watching everything like he should be, in the normal vision like his right eye.

He missed a heartbeat, as he jumped off the bed landing clumsily on the cold floor and ran towards the bathroom.

He needed a second to orientate himself with the two-eyes vision, and when he found the mirror he gasped.

Time had frozen as he found himself staring through his two eyes. Two eyes with no glimpse of a Sharingan.

He shut the door close and when he locked he went back to the mirror, pulling down his mask to see any other changes on his face. But all was normal except his left eye…

"What the fuck?" he muttered touching his eye again and again making sure it was the eye he had ever since the day he had become jonin. Ever since the day his best friend had died and gven him his Sharingan.

No…

This eye was not Obito's…

This eye had the identical colour as his other eye. Dark grey with a ring of lighter grey in the middle. There was no red iris, no swirling marks around the pupil. It was his natural eye-colour, and on top of that he could look normally with it.

"Kakashi! Open up, Kakashi!" he heard Gai shout from outside banging the door.

Kakashi remembered Sakura's words about the problem that had occurred with his Sharingan. That it was not identified by his body, causing him to lose chakra and not be able to use the Sharingan properly. She had said she'd fix it, but she never said she'd take it off completely.

Kakashi grunted annoyed and pulled up his mask before opening the door furious.

"Who did this, huh?" he asked grabbing Gai from the collar of his jonin vest.

Gai looked terrified at him lifting his hands in surrender.

"N-no idea! How on earth should I know?" he said.

Rin came through the door and looked at Kakashi with a wide smile.

Kakashi noticed how she was about to hug him, but froze in her steps when she looked into his _two_ eyes.

"Oh my…!" she gasped placing a palm over her open mouth.

"Rin! Where the hell is my Sharingan?" he yelled making a step closer to Rin.

She opened her eyes widely and flinched.

"I… I don't know! It… it wasn't supposed to go away!" she said silently.

Kakashi looked at the window and slid it open.

He focused at the roof and tried to force chakra through his eye as he always did when in battle.

"What are you doing, Kakashi?" Rin wondered concerned.

Kakashi didn't pay attention. He simply calculated the amount of chakra that was flowing from the centre of his body to his brain and then to his brain, like the power you put in your legs when you want to jump a specific height and length.

His brain let the chakra flow to his optical nerves towards his left eye and his vision suddenly multiplied to a thousand times. The roof looked closer and he could see every tiny little insect on top of it, the markings of many footprints and the swirls of the morning breeze over its edges. Then he looked down at a group of nurses and he could see their every single move ahead in time, even before they actually thought of doing them.

Kakashi sighed relieved and deactivated the Sharingan.

"Kakashi?"

He turned around to face a worried Rin.

"It's there. The Sharingan is there! And it doesn't hurt anymore, so that's good I suppose!" he said with a smile feeling ashamed he doubted Rin's abilities.

"Oh, that's good! But… why is it grey again?" she asked.

"No idea! So, you didn't know this would happen?" he asked sitting down on the bed, feeling exhausted with all this commotion.

"No! I was mostly focusing on stopping the bleeding and keeping your brain from shutting down. Sakura worked on your eye!" she said making Kakashi stop breathing.

_Sakura…_

"She didn't say anything? Why she… did this?" he wondered pointing at his eye, which suddenly felt so alien.

Rin lowered her gaze.

"No, she didn't! And there is no way we'll find out soon." She said in an undertone.

Kakashi frowned.

He noticed that Rin's eyes were rather red and she even looked really tired. He wondered whether she had been here with him all the time he was unconscious.

"Sakura left the village, along with Naruto and Rin-san's daughter!" Gai spoke looking serious.

Kakashi gasped.

"They left? What do you mean?"

"Three days ago! It was really a mess! Tenzo-san went after them, but it seems they tricked him and hid him in the caves to the east. The Hokage went mad, but for some reason she didn't sent anyone after them." Gai said.

"_What?_" Kakashi stood up.

"It's said that they're after Madara!"

Kakashi felt like cold water was splashed over him.

Sakura, Naruto and Chie are after Madara… that's complete suicide, he thought.

"Where are my clothes?"

"Kakashi, you just woke up from a long sleep, you shouldn't-!"

"I have to have a talk with the Hokage. Give me my clothes, please!"

Rin simply nodded after a silent moment standing frozen.

Kakashi looked around on his own, but Rin finally gave him a paper bag with his stuff from the bedside table.

"I'm coming with you!" she told him harshly.

Kakashi looked at her as he put on his sandals seeing a truly worried and determined pair of chocolate eyes staring at him.

She flickered from his to her feet.

"I still hadn't the chance to talk to the Hokage. And I can't stand it waiting. Please, do not deny it from me this time!" she said with pressed lips making Kakashi miss a heartbeat.

Memories returned slowly to his blurry mind. He remembered how Rin was kept out of everything because the Hokage didn't trust her and with the fact that she had stopped being a Leaf citizen for a long time now.

But this time, she couldn't be left behind.

This time it was about her daughter's safety, and anger gradually build up in Kakashi's guts knowing that Sakura and Naruto, above all Sakura, were behind this.

"Alright!" he said simply.

__

**I know it's no good ending for a chapter, but at least Kakashi is finally up! **

**And i really hope you know who Yasuhiro-san is ;)**

**Thanx for reading! until next time...!!!**


	38. Hope

"Ready?" Sakura whispered, hidden beneath a huge bush with Chie and Naruto behind her.

"Aye!" two voices whispered back and then the rustling sound of the plant began, proving that both Naruto and Chie had left their position.

Sakura moved forward trusting her friends and slowly made her way towards the main road that led through the Village of the Eleven Bears.

The village was one of the oldest ones that existed in the Fire Country, and due to its position so close to the Land of Snow and the fact that it was geographically in the middle of the five great shinobi lands, it was always in the centre of battle during the great shinobi wars over the years. And centuries ago, this is the place where a once mighty clan had first fallen…

Sakura put on a straw hat and wrapped herself in her black cloak to hide any evidence she was a ninja.

The plan was to blend in and not draw attention, she thought and walked calmly, her eyes always keeping everything under watch, through the main road and the crowded gates of the village.

As far as she knew, the Village of the Eleven Bears was called like that because of the special ability of the first leader of this village to talk to animals. Towards the north extended high mountains which were most of the year covered in snow, as a result the mountain bears often moved south to find food.

The leader of this village, whose name Sakura didn't know, used the bears' unleashed power against enemies during the first great shinobi war, and since then this shinobi and his ten bears had become heroes of the village.

Sakura observed with normal curiosity of a person who enters for the first time this village the strange buildings made of marble, giving it a strange glow under the midday's sun. Most of them were carved with different depictions of the great shinobi wars that had a great effect on this place. The roads that led through the white buildings were made of stone, and flags were waving from every window and every corner.

The people here had to be very patriotic, she thought looking at an old woman sitting under a huge flag with the face of a bear and ten stars around its head forming a circle on the white-blue fabric.

The colours of snow, she thought finding it strange that this village was actually considered a part of the Fire Country.

The northern wind was rather chilly. Although it was summer, which meant the snow and ice of the northern lands must have melted a long time now, the air still felt rather cold for the season.

Sakura moved through the crowd with no difficulty, avoiding touching anyone, and looked for herb shops.

Naruto and Chie would go for supplies, since their journey was still a long way.

Sakura noticed a group of shinobi soldiers standing in front of a bar, long katanas hanging from their backs. She tried not to look too suspicious as she walked past them.

She could feel the drilling stare of someone, but she just disappeared in the crowd.

Around a corner in an alley she found a pharmacy. An old man was sitting outside, smoking a pipe and staring at the sky.

Sakura took off her straw hat and slightly bowed at the old man, his eyes so wrinkled she could hardly distinguish the dark irises.

The old man glanced at Sakura giving her a grin.

"Good morning, sir!" she greeted him politely.

"Why are you hiding this strange beauty of yours, miss?" he asked her, not looking at her as he sucked pleasantly his pipe.

Sakura felt a blush run over her cheeks.

"Strange?" she repeated placing some strands behind her ear.

He looked at her.

"It's been long since I last set my eyes on pink hair! It's not a colour you see every day!" he chuckled and moved inside his shop.

Sakura followed him calmly, scanning tactfully the shop for any traps.

The old man placed his pipe on the bank and pointed at the hundred shelves covered with herbs, bottles, medicine, and other ingredients for medics. Sakura looked around to search what she wanted.

"Well… my father has dark pink hair as well." She said just to keep the conversation going. Suddenly, she felt something was not right here.

The man chuckled.

"For a moment I thought you'd say they're died!"

Sakura chuckled along.

"No, sir! They're natural! I'd like to have those herbs over there." She pointed at a low shelf at a box.

He handed it to her and grinned again.

"You are a beautiful lady and I wish you all happiness!" he told her.

Sakura smiled.

"Thank you, sir!" she handed him the money and placed the box in her backpack.

"I wish you good business!" she told him and with a bow walked away.

She could still smell the heavy scent of the old man's pipe as she left the alley and returned in the crowded market street.

She remembered one picture, the only picture her father had from his family. She never had the chance to meet them, they had all died when her father was just in her age. Most of them had different tints of pink hair as well. Her father used to tell her stories of his grandfather whom he really loved. Her great-grandfather had, according to her father, the exact same tint of pink hair as her, something that always made Sakura very proud of her strange hair colour.

On the other hand, her mother had normal dark brown hair. She used to be a very beautiful woman…

Sakura sighed feeling her heart suddenly heavy and a grip around her stomach.

Sakura looked around searching for any sign of bright blonde hair, but the majority was dark-haired. Naruto and Chie were nowhere to be seen.

They had agreed to meet in a specific spot, which was away from the popular roads of the village, but still not too deserted in order not to draw much attention on them. So, Sakura slowly made her way towards the playground in the west of the village. It was Chie's idea to meet there, as she was the only one who had been here before.

Sakura could still feel this drilling stare on her, but it'd be too suspicious if she looked around.

She halted by a souvenir shop surrounded by a fence, where two children with bright green hair were fighting with taijutsu outside the front door.

Sakura stayed and watched them, the way the one swirled touching the ground with just his palms and the other one fought him with his arms. They were moving rather fast, and they were enjoying their little innocent battle.

But Sakura could easily see which one was the most determined one to win. The little boy who was fighting with his arms mostly, calculated every single movement of his component, he was carefully spinning around himself, never losing the other from his eyes though and never making a single wrong move.

She found herself drawn from the boy's strong will and along with others who were passing by she stayed there watching them.

The other boy suddenly jumped in the air and the one Sakura had been watching mostly kneeled so quickly and did a quick hand signal which Sakura needed a long moment to identify as the Summoning technique.

Out of thin air, a small lizard appeared wearing a red collar around its neck and its foils sparkled in metallic colours under the bright sun. The lizard crawled towards the exact spot where the other boy was about to land and the summoner of the lizard made another hand signal.

"Deadly Whistle Jutsu!" the boy said and the lizard opened its mouth widely revealing its long tongue and suddenly everything was quiet. The boy watched his lizard with wide eyes waiting the result of his technique.

Sakura found herself holding her breathe, awaiting to listen to any sound the lizard would do. The entire crowd watching was holding its breath, and the lizard just stood there with its jaws open.

The other boy in the meantime landed over the lizard with great speed, crashing the stones of the road underneath him.

The lizard managed to get away in the last moment.

Sakura frowned noticing the great disappointment in the boy's eyes.

"You failed! Admit it!" the other boy shouted panting.

The lizard crawled back to its master, its yellow eyes shining dangerously.

The boy let his head fall on his collarbone.

"It didn't work again!" he muttered and the lizard moved its head to look at its master.

"It never works!" he continued and Sakura saw a pair of sparkling diamonds fall down his cheeks.

The crowd began murmuring.

"Kids!"

"That was a hell of a weak technique!"

"The other one was really strong! Look how he smashed the stone!"

"Why are you giving up, huh?" Sakura heard the loud and clear voice of Naruto from somewhere. She followed his voice and saw him only a few steps behind her standing with his hands on his hips. His cloak was simply hanging from his shoulders revealing every sign on his clothes that he was a ninja. The shurinken holsters around his both thighs, the bandages that kept his black trousers from messing with his feet, the kunais hanging in sheaths from the inside of his cloak.

Sakura wanted to punch his face for revealing himself like this in front of the entire village.

The boy with the lizard looked up at Naruto.

Naruto passed by Sakura not even glancing at her and kneeled in order to look the boy in eye level.

The boy dried his eyes quickly.

"You could win, you know!" Naruto told him with a wide grin pushing the boy slightly with his forefinger on his forehead.

The boy gasped.

"Train harder and never give up!" Naruto said and chuckled.

The boy frowned angry.

"It's easy for you to say! You look like a strong shinobi. You don't need to train hard, you must be strong already! So stop being smart!" he shot at him with tears in his eyes.

Naruto looked seriously at the boy leaning his elbows on his knees and linking his palms in front of him.

"You're wrong here! I'm training every day to become stronger and stronger. And I haven't stopped ever since I was your age. And I tell you this; that I won't stop training until the day that I'll die!" Naruto grinned again.

"You have more guts than I do, kid! You can summon a real little beast here in such a young age! The first time I could summon anything was a long time after! Keep working hard and do not let yourself down for such little losses! Through losing you get to know your limits, you get to know the faults in your techniques. Do you know what went wrong just now?"

The boy looked thoughtful for a moment.

Sakura made a step closer.

"I lack in chakra!" the boy muttered disappointed with himself.

"No! Your chakra flow was perfect. Something else was not right!" Naruto said and pointed at the lizard.

The lizard hissed, its tongue flipping in the air.

The boy looked at its lizard but shook his head not understanding.

Sakura felt that drilling stare again and tried to search her surroundings from the corner of her eyes.

"Your connection with the beast was not complete."

"It can't get better! I've already worked so long to reach this level!" the boy argued.

"It'll be easier, I promise you that! Train again and again with the beast, until you manage to share minds. Your chakra becomes one with the beast's chakra once you fully reach its being the way you reach yours!"

The boy lifted an eyebrow.

"I don't understand a thing!"

Sakura chuckled remembering that Naruto used to be a lot like this kid.

Naruto stood up and scratched his head.

"Well… how should I put this?"

"Train me! Help me perfect this technique!" the boy cried bouncing and grabbing Naruto's clothes.

The lizard hissed again.

"Ehmm! That's impossible!"

"Why? Come on!"

Naruto looked at Sakura over his shoulder like he was requesting for some kind of help.

Sakura tried to loosen up with keeping her profile down, so she came closer to Naruto and the persistent kid.

"Who are these guys, Ken?" the other boy asked with an angry frown.

The boy with the lizard smiled broadly.

"Great shinobi who'll help me with training!" Ken replied and grabbed both Naruto's and Sakura's hands.

Sakura glanced at Naruto confused.

Naruto gave her the same look back.

Great, now we draw all the attention there is, she thought noticing that many people were now staring at them.

"Look, we have a great journey ahead of us and we should-!"

"Go soon! Very soon!" Naruto completed Sakura's sentence, but Ken had already dragged them into the souvenir shop.

"Gramps! Hey, gramps!" Ken yelled, while the other boy who was obviously Ken's brother scanned Naruto and Sakura with his intense stare.

The shop was round and all over the walls of crème marble shelves were hanging with local products like dry fruits and different shapes made of marble, like animals and even small shinobi. The small white figures looked like covered with snow and the natural light that entered from the little windows reflected on the cold stone. Sakura noticed a red cat sleeping on top of one shelf.

Footsteps echoed from the far end of the shop and an old man appeared from stairs that led underground. He approached them with a stick helping him keep his balance and his bright green eyes looked first at his grandchildren and then at the two strangers.

"Good day!" he greeted them with a bow.

"Gramps! Look, these shinobi will help me train!" Ken said happily. The lizard crawled up Ken's trousers and then his sleeve sticking on his shoulder.

Sakura shivered feeling suddenly a tickle on her own shoulder from the sight.

"Ah! I thought you were tourists!" the old man said with a grin revealing fewer teeth than normal.

That's what we intended to, Sakura thought pressing her lips.

"Well, we are on vacation actually!" Naruto said grinning.

Ken, his brother and his grandfather grinned all the same smile as they looked from Sakura to Naruto and then back to Sakura.

"You have a cute girlfriend! I hope she doesn't mind you stick around to train me, huh?" Ken said giving his cute smile to Sakura.

Sakura gasped.

"No! I'm not his-!"

"Yeah, she's the cutest girl throughout the five lands!" Naruto said and an arm shot around her shoulders bringing her closer to him.

Sakura blushed unwillingly and wished she didn't hesitate to smash his face.

"Oh, lovely!" the old man muttered looking like he enjoyed the view of the two of them.

Sakura tried to control the chakra flow that was rushing through her arms in her fists.

"Yeah! She is, isn't she?" Naruto said, making Sakura burn with irritation under his grip.

Was he really looking for a fight, she wondered.

"So! When do we begin, huh?" Ken asked.

"Unfortunately we won't stay long! We're leaving right away! We're going to get married you see, in my fiancé's hometown and we're both looking veeery forward to it!"

Sakura stepped on Naruto's foot, but he only grunted silently.

Once they went out of this shop she would make sure no one would ever recognize his face again.

_Fiancé… he's looking forward to his death!_

"Where do you come from, madam?" the old man asked Sakura.

Sakura wondered where the hell Chie was. If she appeared who would she pretend to be, their daughter?

Sakura swallowed hardly.

"Ehm… the Land of Snow!" she said with a fake grin.

Naruto chuckled next to her.

What was holding her from punching him to death right now, she wondered as her heart was beating faster due to her struggle to keep her chakra flow under control.

"Ah! That's why you look so familiar!" the old man said and brushed Ken's hair. Ken grinned at him and stroked his lizard.

Sakura frowned.

"Familiar? What do you mean, sir?"

"It is a strange hair colour you have, child!" he commented.

What was that with everybody and her pink hair today, she wondered intensely feeling suddenly Naruto's grip loosen on her forearm.

"The blossoms that march to death as the snow falls."

"Spring drowns in the endless winter as the black crows break the silence."

The old man glanced at his grandson and chuckled.

"You remember it, Kenji?" he asked the kid.

"You even talk in your sleep of this legend, gramps!" Ken's brother said not hiding his irritation with the whole situation.

Sakura glanced at Naruto, wondering what on earth they were talking about. Naruto looked as confused as she did.

"Sometimes legends are nothing more than real stories!" the old man commented looking deep in thoughts as he closed his eyes and limped towards a small window.

Sakura and Naruto followed him with their eyes, while both Ken and his brother stayed frozen with their eyes set on Sakura.

The atmosphere suddenly felt cold and distant, and Sakura wanted to leave this place. She grabbed Naruto's hand and forced him towards the door.

"Excuse us, but we really need to go! Have a-!" Sakura began, but Ken's brother spoke.

"Are you really a descendant of the _shinobi of blossoms_?"

Sakura stayed there, holding Naruto's hand tight. Her grip grew tighter and tighter around his hand, almost crashing his fingers as the air was becoming too thin to breathe for an unknown reason. Sakura stared at the boy's intense green stare. It felt like he was examining her every cell on her face, like he was searching some proof that whatever he was talking about was real.

"Kai! This is nonsense! It's a legend!" Ken said.

Kai looked at him over his shoulder crossing his arms in front of him.

"Have you ever seen pink hair before?" Kai said in a harsh tone.

"N-no, but it can't be, right?" Ken said with a trembling voice.

The boy looked at his grandfather who was staring at something far away from them.

Sakura was sure something was not right with those people, and something told her to leave immediately.

"We need to go!" she muttered to Naruto and together they walked outside the shop.

"What's wrong with them?" Naruto wondered loudly and just followed Sakura away from the market street. She noticed pairs of eyes staring at them both with intense curiosity.

Sakura put on her straw hat and tried to ignore them as Naruto was complaining next to her.

"What kind of legend were they talking about?" he continued as Sakura for some reason was still holding his wrist tight as they walked hastily through alleys under the greatness of the marble buildings.

"And that old man, he was creepy saying these poems! Man, I still shiver!"

"Where the hell is that playground?" Sakura grunted annoyed searching for the sun behind the white buildings. The light reflecting on the white stone caused Sakura to see strange glimpses of light and messed her eye-sight.

"To the west I think!" Naruto said pointing to his left.

"West is there!" Sakura corrected him pointing to their back when she located the real sun through all the reflections.

Still holding tight his wrist, they were almost running trying desperately to find their meeting point.

This unwelcome feeling that something wasn't right, that someone was always watching her was starting to make Sakura too aware of herself and nervous enough to perplex her. On top of that, she felt more angry with those strange people from the souvenir shop rather than with Naruto's joke them being married.

She hadn't understood a thing of what they had said, but she knew they were talking about her. About something she had no clue of.

"They were right in one thing though, those weirdos!" Naruto said with his classic grin.

Sakura shot him a killer glance.

"Beware of what you're going to say!" Sakura warned him searching around for any sign of a playground.

"That you're a blossom!" she heard Naruto say stopping in his steps making Sakura lose her balance.

Suddenly she felt his grip around her wrist and his strength forcing her to spin around herself and face him.

Sakura frowned irritated.

In a second which happened so quickly but so slowly as well, Sakura watched how Naruto looked deep in her eyes and cupped her face in his warm palms. How he slowly leaned to come face to face with her and how her heart had begun beating so fast, she feared it'd shatter in a million pieces. How her cheeks grew warmer under his touch.

His sparkling, blue eyes, the colour of the morning sky, were casting her under some strange kind of illusion making her freeze in her steps, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to even think clearly, as Naruto touched his lips gently on hers and kissed her.

Sakura gasped feeling him move his lips slowly without intruding, and his fingers slightly tickle her scarred cheeks.

Why was she still, she wondered and fought the urge to close her eyes and fall in this strange illusion.

She pushed him away before she would fall a victim in the temptation to kiss him back. She quickly turned her back to him trying to find herself again and walked away, hoping she created a long distance between them.

There was a strange silence and Sakura felt the blush on her cheeks burn her insides.

"I-I'm sorry!" she heard Naruto say. Fear flooded her heart to face him.

_What… happened?_

Why did it happen, she wondered touching her lips with her fingers. They felt warm, and the touch of her own fingers on them made her cheeks burn more.

She turned around to look at him, regretting doing so.

Naruto had hid his face in his one palm, while the other was clenched in a fist.

"I'm a total idiot! Forgive me!" he said with a tone that made Sakura feel a chill down her spine. He sounded angry… with himself.

Sakura was about to call him, but he walked away from her, disappearing behind the white buildings. An intense reflection hit her eyes and she flinched looking away as a boulder of guilt crashed her heart.

_______________

"_You trust them_?" Kakashi growled.

"You don't?" Tsunade growled back at him with the same intensity.

Kakashi flickered glancing at Shizune and Tenzo who were standing next to the Hokage.

They both avoided his angry stare and he turned back to Tsunade.

"They are going after _Madara_! How the hell am I going to trust them, when they're going to fight against a shinobi not even all of us together cannot fight? You remember what happened with Pain!" Kakashi said loudly, losing his row of thinking, as the fury was building up inside of him.

None of this made sense. For some reason, Tsunade, Tenzo and Shizune were so sure that Sakura had a perfect plan to draw Uchiha Madara out of his hideout, and along with Naruto and Chie they would defeat not only Madara, but all of his followers along with Kuroi as well.

They were all nuts, he thought gritting his teeth.

"You're mad! I'm going after them!" he announced.

"No, you're not! Sai and his team are going to follow them in disguise, so that they won't know we know, as a result Madara won't know either!" Tsunade explained sitting on her desk calmly with this annoying grin of accomplishment.

Kakashi approached her with heavy steps, still not feeling like himself knowing he had two normal eyes. He had wrapped his forehead protector over it though, since the last thing he wanted to deal with now were the comments about his _new eye_.

"You know something you're not telling me, right?" Kakashi said in a serious tone, not minding at all about this sudden, but still not unreasonable, burst of rudeness and impatience in front of everyone.

Tsunade leaned her head on her palm balancing her elbow on the desk, surrounded by piles of papers and documents. Her honey brown eyes looked up at him.

"I have all the right to feel proud about Naruto and Sakura! They acted just like you would act in their place, or even me! But still their plan is even better. This couldn't have worked in any other way! We had to be fooled, or else Madara would know immediately and confront us with no difficulty." Tsunade stood up and her green anorak danced around her hips.

"It makes perfect sense! Sakura used everything she found out from us about Madara against him, in our favour. She knows Madara is after her, so she uses it as an alibi to abandon the village and go after him. She makes us all think that she's going to surrender herself, but still she takes Naruto and Chie along with her. She took with her in this dangerous task the people she trusts the most, the people she knows will do exactly as she says without doubting her words." Tsunade put her hands on her hips and her face sparkled with a sudden wave of excitement and pride as she looked at him.

"I'm sorry for taking your glory as her sensei, Kakashi! But I believe I was the one who taught her to act like this! She has surpassed me, just like Naruto has surpassed Jiraya!" she said with a wide smile.

Kakashi felt a strange warmth caress his insides and remembered the night when Sakura told him in this professional and serious tone of a true medic-nin about his problem with the Sharingan. Or during their mission in the Village of the Blue Tree when she thought of the plan to fight against Madara's ability to read minds, and where she used Water Techniques of great power.

Indeed, she had improved a lot as a kunoichi, but there was no possible way he could take off this burden on his shoulder and this fear that lingered in his chest knowing that there was a great possibility neither Sakura, nor Naruto and Chie would return.

They were still so young. They still hadn't tasted the true glory as ninjas, they still hadn't lived life, so why would he just sit behind, when he could take their place and give them the chance to survive. He was their sensei, he would always be. And never should the students sacrifice themselves for their senior. The job of a real shinobi sensei is to protect the young ones, the ones that hold the future in their hands.

Of course he trusted Sakura, even Naruto… but he _would _go after them and he would help them. And he would make sure that they would win this fight alive…

Tsunade seemed like she knew what he was thinking as her steady gaze was fixed on his, and he didn't doubt it that perhaps that was her plan as well. She was Sakura's mentor and she loved her like a daughter.

Tsunade was right, he thought looking deep in the Hokage's sparkling eyes. _She _taught Sakura to be such a powerful and decisive kunoichi, not he.

"Where is Sai at the moment?" he asked after a long silent moment not taking his eyes off of Tsunade's.

She smiled understanding his plan.

"They reached the waterfall by the Village of the Blue Tree yesterday. They're heading north as we speak." She said and crossed her arms on her chest.

Kakashi bowed slightly.

"Rin-san! Please forgive my rudeness for not explaining it all to you. You have all the right to know, since your daughter is in danger and you proved your loyalty to the village by helping Kakashi, Naruto and me!" Tsunade said looking at Rin who was standing quietly next to Kakashi.

She bowed slightly back at her.

"For gratitude to all you've done, I want to offer you the manager's place in the hospital of Konoha!"

Shizune and Kakashi looked at Tsunade shocked.

Tenzo smiled.

Rin glanced at each one of them to make sure about what she had heard.

Tsunade chuckled.

"Uchiha may still be alive and wandering around, but a good feeling is welling my heart! There is hope, and I personally will make sure this mess will soon come to an end!" she said turning around to face the window that was looking over the afternoon covering the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Kakashi noticed how she sighed and her shoulders raised and fell gently again.

"I trust your abilities, Rin! If you want to return to your village, your acceptance to this job will give you automatically the title of a Leaf citizen again!" the Hokage said, her back towards them.

Kakashi looked at Rin noticing her eyes swelling slowly as tears were forming.

She looked at him and dried her eyes quickly smiling widely.

Kakashi grabbed her hand and smiled back at her, happy with her happiness and with Tsunade's sudden generosity.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama!" Rin managed to say as soon as she had calmed her tears down.

Tsunade turned around to look at Rin beaming.

"_You_ can call me Tsunade! We're partners now!" she said and sat back down on her desk.

"But Uchiha is still alive. We shall focus on the burning matters and fight until this ends! Gather all jonins and ANBU in the meeting hall right away. I won't let Jiraya's kid take all the glory on his own!" Tsunade said glancing at Shizune and Tenzo.

"Aye!" they both said and left the Hokage's office.

When the door shut, Tsunade turned to Kakashi and Rin.

"Do not mess with the plan, Kakashi! Everything can turn upside down, and I trust you'll prevent this from happening. Meet up with Sai!"

"Aye, Hokahe-sama!" he said and felt Rin's grip tighten around his.

He glanced at her and gave her a smile under his mask.

He loved it seeing her happy and the fact that she was now under Tsunade's protection meant a lot to him. And especially to her.

She was welcomed back home…

He looked at the Hokage and bowed.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama!"

"Thank you, Kakashi!" they exchanged glances of excitement and the common decision they both had made to protect the future of this village.

What awaited them was unpredictable, but a strong promising hope was floating in the air, like the single sunray that hesitantly made its way through the thick dark clouds after a strong and fatal storm. A hope that Tsunade radiated towards all jonins and ANBU shinobi who were in the village during the meeting, a hope that made Kakashi's heart warm in his chest as he packed his things to go and help his students along with Sai. A hope that promised a better future awaiting somewhere…

_

**thanx for reading!!!**

**a little note: i checked the geography of the shinobi lands and well mine is "a little" different from that of Kishimoto-sensei! anyway, if you wonder where i put the Fire Country and so on, don't check the manga/anime, it's completely different! but it's not really that important! the important thing is that Kakashi is finally back and I had missed writing in his point of view, yeah!**

**i hope tomorrow i'll have the next chapter out, where finally the _huge_ mystery is revealed... what could it be???**

**find out in the next chapter ;)**

**take care...!**


	39. Lost

Yasuhiro lifted his head letting his face in the mercy of the heavy rain.

It felt like millions of small gravels were sent on him, the punishment of him being the only survivor.

_The last one of a lost clan…_

The thick clouds covered the night sky and the thunders growled like the spirits of the ones that were lost in vain. He searched for their faces on the threatening darkness and felt their anger hit on him with all the might.

Blood all over their faces where pain and terror was drawn as the last blossoms of the cherry trees fell on the pool of the blood of the Haruno clan.

And one single man was still there, still standing there breathing heavily as his tears were being soaked from the red soil and the pink petals caressed his wounded skin like the touch of hope.

_Hope… what is this?_

_Is it something good… though I know not what good is…_

His tears flowed along with the raindrops and disappeared on the Earth.

_Water…_

Katsuro was a true master of Water, he remembered seeing his face in front of him, his long, bright red hair falling like silk on his strong shoulders and his bright turquoise eyes filled with the will and desire to achieve his dreams in life. Next to him was Aya, his ten-year-old sister with long, wavy, dark pink hair and dark green eyes smiling shyly at her older brother.

She would have become a strong kunoichi as well, she had all the potentials…

_Potential…_

He thought of that man's words again and again, his heart crushing inside of him, bringing the abyss back in his sorrowful mind.

"_You are a chosen one!"_

Chosen for what…

Why…

_Why…_

A shiver crossed his body as another thunder stroke not far away from him.

A loud wind howled in the furious night.

I wish I was braver, he thought opening his eyes to let the raindrops fall on them, but his eyelids shut automatically preventing him from torturing his eyes.

Yasuhiro shouted at the night, at the storm, at the thunders, and at fate when his legs could not hold him anymore and his mind went blank travelling him through the world of dreams…

______________

"Hey!"

…

"Sir, wake up!"

Yasuhiro grunted feeling his bones so heavy he barely managed to move. He felt something warm on his face. He forced his eyes open and blinked a hundred times to distinguish a pair of dark brown eyes stare at him. He stayed there, observing the pupils on these eyes and the ring of gold around them as they turned into chocolate brown. These were sad eyes, but beautiful.

He observed the rest of the face that was staring at him. It was a woman, she had thin dark eyebrows and a small scar on the edge of the right one. It must be an old cut he thought. Her cheeks were slightly blushed, and the colour matched perfectly her hair colour; dark brown, long falling around her thin face. Her lips were slightly parted, with a dark red colour.

He noticed how close she was to his face and that's when he realized that he was not dreaming.

He looked away from that strange woman and pushed himself up on his feet, grunting in pain with the great numbness that had taken over his limbs.

He looked around realizing that he was still on that plain he was standing when it was still night and raining.

There was no sign that hell had reached Earth, as the sun was shining and the plain was covered in different beautiful colours. A breeze caused the grass to look like waves on the sea surface.

He wondered intensely how long he had been unconscious…

"Are you alright, sir?" he heard the woman's voice concerned.

He turned to look at her, realizing that he was bare-chested and filled with signs of complete exhaustion. His throat felt dry and a shiver crossed his spine.

He shook his head, not really knowing what to say. He wanted to kill a certain someone, he wanted to take revenge, nothing else crossed his mind. He didn't care that he hadn't eaten for days, or that he was wearing the same clothes ever since he fled from the Land of Snow, or that the blood from the wound on his back had dried on his skin.

All he knew was that it was his fault his sister would not become a kunoichi, or that his brother would never accomplish his dream to revive the power and glory of their clan…

He looked down at his hands, dirt on the hard fingertips, scars from his struggle to live in the wilderness with his kusarigama his only companion.

There was a long silence from the woman's part and he looked up at her wondering what had happened; if she was so disgusted in his sight, or afraid with his looks.

But he gasped noticing that she was looking at him with a smile. A sad one, but it was still a smile, something Yasuhiro hadn't seen in a long time.

She approached him and he flinched not knowing what she was about to do; hit him, slap him in the face, swear at him, or…

"I'm going to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. They say that's the only place where immigrants are welcome. You can follow me! They can help you!" she whispered to him with a power in her voice that made his heart flatter.

_The Village Hidden in the Leaves…_

That shinobi with the tattoo on his cheek had mentioned that that bastard was the founder of it. That it's the place where his own clan and village turned against him…

He had said that that bastard was seeking revenge from that village…

If he went there, maybe he would eventually meet him again…

And then he'd fight him, but this time he would not hold back, he would not be a coward. This time Uchiha Madara would die, even if it cost his own life…

__________________

Not a single sound broke the song of the night breeze and the continuous crushing of water on water. The stars and the moon were shining with all their might over the midnight sky and the dim light sparkled over the crystal surface of the waterfall as it made its way down to the lake.

The force of gravity; one of the strongest forces of Nature.

His eyes were set on the cloud of vapors and the diamonds that were created with light and water.

The cherry trees were standing like guards on top of the high cliff, the leaves dancing in the rhythm of the night breeze which forcing his black cloak to follow as well.

He didn't make a move as he breathed deep and slow the humid air. Not even his cloak made a sound, there was only the breeze and the waterfall. He was nothing more than a shadow in this beautiful place, observing in complete silence.

Voices echoed in his mind as he let his thoughts wander towards other consciousness that were in his vicinity. Like moths were drawn to light, his chakra flow was drawn to foreign chakras. Like he could feed from them, although they didn't actually provide him solid chakra energy, but it was merely out of curiosity and the knowledge that the other wouldn't know that he knew. It was personal satisfaction to be ahead in time and in the other person's mind, while the other just stood there weak and unaware of the consequences.

Madara let his chakra flow invisible through the atmosphere towards Kuroi who was approaching him as silent as a cat from behind.

The shinobi halted in his steps. His cloak was making slight sounds as the breeze forced it in its rhythm.

"The ANBU morons are heading towards the Land of Snow." Kuroi said breaking the beautiful silence that had finally eased Madara's mind.

Madara nodded just to give the Snow shinobi the sign that he had heard him.

"Shall I follow them?"

Madara was staring at the waterfall trying to find the proof he needed. His eyes, as red as crimson blood, showed him the movement of energy through the particles of water and the forces that acted between each one of them. It was almost covered in light, just like every powerful natural creation.

_A natural creation…_

He followed the flow of water upwards with his eyes, towards the source of it which was extending high up the cliff and the cherry trees.

Madara frowned and forced chakra through the cells of his entire body so that he could make them disappear and move them as whole in another place.

Everything went black for a brief second as the world was suddenly spinning faster around him. When he blinked, he was no longer watching up at the waterfall, instead he was up there.

The cherry trees were surrounding him like sleepless guards of this water source and he noticed Kuroi standing still down at the plain at the edge of the lake looking curiously up at him.

The night sky was even more majestic from up here.

Madara smiled when he noticed no river that provided the water or a lake, or something that could have created this waterfall _naturally._

The strong flow of crystal water appeared out of the ground, like it was a fountain, and bushes and small trees had already grown around the strange source.

Madara observed with his Sharingan the energy around the source and the light was ten times more intense here, than down at the lake.

_This is definitely not a natural creation…_

To create such a big and beautiful waterfall, that would continue flowing even after such an amount of time for plants to grow around it, demanded great chakra amounts and above all perfect control of the Water.

Madara couldn't help but smile as he kneeled. He took off his right glove revealing a scarred hand and touched the chilly surface of the water. He tasted some drops and felt warmth inside of him.

Kuroi's consciousness intruded his, although the Snow shinobi didn't have a clue, sometimes Madara hated it having foreign thoughts mess the row of his own.

He stood up straight and shot a killer glance at Kuroi, his long wavy hair shining under the dim moonlight.

Kuroi was still thinking about following the ANBU shinobi that had arrived here yesterday to investigate the murder of a genin that had happened here a while ago.

He wouldn't give him the pleasure, not soon though, Madara thought licking the clear water from his thin lips.

"She already masters Water without any help from her father or even knowing who she really is!" he commented in an undertone, not wanting to break the beautiful song of the night's silence.

Kuroi glanced at the strange source of water that appeared out of nowhere from the earth.

"I doubt it she knows nothing more than that." he said as Madara heard his thoughts as well, about the kekkei genkai and the true abilities of the Haruno clan.

"As long as she doesn't learn more about the past of her ancestors, it'll stay like this." Madara looked up at a group of bats soaring like comets through the night sky. "But she'll learn… soon enough!"

"How? Only her father knows about this and she hasn't seen him for a long time now." Kuroi said, sounding slightly nervous.

"Why do you think those ANBU left in such a hurry? She's there!"

"In the Land of Snow?" Kuroi asked with a frown.

Madara touched the handle of his katana gently which was hidden under the sleeve of his cloak.

"It's time!" Madara said towards the night.

He had been waiting for so long…

The preparations were about to be completed, and the battle he was so long anticipating was closing by…

"Track her down, and bring her in deep thoughts. Make her real powers wake up!" Madara said.

Kuroi bowed.

"Aye, Uchiha-senpai!"

"Let's see if she is a real descendant of the Haruno clan!"

_________________

Sakura felt Chie's stare glancing once at her, then at Naruto and then back at her.

It was getting too irritating. The uncomfortable silence, the electric atmosphere between her and Naruto, and the curious questions of Chie.

Sakura touched her stomach gently feeling the mending cream she had composed with the herbs from the Village of the Eleven Bears healing the sensitive wound. It was working and she hoped it would heal soon so that she could move properly again.

She looked at Naruto's back as he was running to their front. He had been quiet ever since _that _had happened.

She didn't know what to say, how to react. If she should yell at him, be mad with him or just forget about it and act like nothing happened.

Naruto loved her. He loved her in a way she had only realized a long a time after.

Naruto was in love with her ever since they had first met in the Academy. When she had only eyes for Sasuke, he was always there in the background burning with jealousy, while she was staring dreamingly at the Uchiha prodigy. He was always trying his best to draw her attention, to steal her heart, to protect her…

But she never gave much attention to it. Perhaps she hoped deep down he would come to senses and find the true love in someone else who could love him the way he deserves to be loved.

To her, Naruto was only a friend for whom she'd even give her life. Just like she would do for Sasuke, for Tsunade, for Kakashi-sensei…

Even when they were older, Naruto was still showing the same affection to her as he always did. After he returned from his two and half years of training with Jiraya-sama, he had even become more determined to win her. But as stubborn as a mule, she only made fun of him not giving in.

It had been nothing more than a joke…

Something she was sure had broken his heart to a million pieces…

She hated herself for that.

But when Sasuke returned that beautiful day, the happiest day of her life, she realized that Naruto shared an equal part of her heart as Sasuke did. That's when she found out that she was never actually in love with Sasuke. She just wanted him to acknowledge her.

She knew that if she looked strong and powerful in Sasuke's eyes, then she would indeed be so.

This never happened though…

Sasuke had changed his attitude towards her, that was true. He was more fun, more happy and showed more his real emotions towards her, but they were never the ones she seeked.

The only real attention she ever received was from Naruto…

Not Sasuke, not Kakashi…

They only saw her as a teammate and a respectful kunoichi whose nerves you should avoid messing with…

But with Naruto it was different…

And now she had broken his heart again.

All she wanted was to see him happy, see him fulfill his forever dream of becoming Hokage. If she continued breaking his feelings like this, then she was the worst friend in the world…

"Halt it you two!" Chie shouted causing suddenly both Naruto and Sakura to stop as well looking at her with questioning frowns.

"What happened?" Naruto asked scanning the vicinity.

"What the hell is going on? Ever since we left the Village of the Eleven Bears you haven't exchanged a single word! The rocks are more lively than you! Whatever it is, if you don't solve this issue, there's no way we're going on!" Chie shouted her hands on her hips.

Sakura glanced at Naruto, but he didn't take his eyes off Chie.

Chie was right, Sakura thought. She was too destructed to notice anything. It was too dangerous. This mission demanded the best teamwork.

"Whatever it is, solve it now, or you'll be taking us all three to our deaths! I go fetch some water! You make sure when I return you'll be back to normal!" she said and disappeared behind some pine trees.

Sakura turned her gaze towards the north where great mountains covered the Land of Snow. Their peaks were covered with little snow, and a river glowed like a serpent that flowed across them towards the east. Tomorrow they'll hopefully reach that river which was the natural border between the Fire Country and the Land of Snow.

She turned hesitantly to look at Naruto.

She flinched seeing that he was already staring at her with a sad smile.

She hated it seeing him like this. But she mostly hated the fact that she was the reason behind his sadness.

Sakura felt her fists clench and looked away from him as guilt drowned her heart.

"Ehm! I'm sorry for being so… blunt and cruel to you! Let's… let's forget about this!" she muttered, not sure he had listened to her.

She noticed him come closer to her, his hands in his pockets.

"There's no need for you to say sorry._ I_ am sorry and I agree that… well, let's forget about this. Forgive my immaturity and I-I hope this won't mess with our relationship. I-I mean our… teamwork! Let's continue being friends! What say?" he offered her his hand wearing this happy grin on his face.

Sakura looked at him, wondering whether this was a real smile, or he was trying to fake it for her.

She wanted to punish herself, as she knew that he was trying so hard not to collapse. But she couldn't return his love.

He was… Naruto!

They always fought and quarreled. She always slapped his face when he did silly things, she always laughed at his persistence of becoming Hokage. She was no good friend to him.

That's why she didn't want to shake hands with him.

Yes, I love him, she thought, but… if she only brought disappointment and sorrow to him, perhaps they should… just… let it go…

Naruto lowered his hand, noticing that Sakura wouldn't take it.

"Follow me please!" he muttered and walked past her towards the opposite direction where Chie had gone.

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows and reluctantly followed him towards a small clearing between the tall pine trees. Few clouds floated from north to south and the sun was shining gloriously.

Naruto halted and let his backpack fall on the ground as he looked up at the sky.

Sakura was afraid to be alone with him now. She wanted to run towards Chie, so that she could avoid anything Naruto would say and make her feel even worse.

But then… Naruto never had said something bad about her.

Never…

Then why was she afraid to face him…

Why couldn't she accept the fact that he was so madly in love with her…

"I don't want to force you in anything, Sakura! I don't want to hurt you! I'd rather choke myself to death than… hurting you!" he said, his back turned to her. Sakura felt her throat dry.

He sighed and slowly turned to look at her from the corners of his eyes.

"I was rude… back then, knowing that you're in love with someone else and intruding your personal space… like this! I…!" he looked up in the sky again, and Sakura gasped noticing the sparkles in his eyes.

"I can never be Sasuke!"

Sakura felt her insides heavy and her eyes warm as she heard Naruto's words again and again in her head.

He looked at her with that sad smile that made Sakura let her first teardrops fall.

"Do not feel pity about me!" he walked closer to her. "I can't see you like this!" he raised his hand to stroke her cheek, and Sakura felt a sudden rush of anticipation longing to feel his warm touch, but it never happened.

"I shall never hurt you like this again! I'll always be there for you… only… when you want me to!" he said.

Sakura was about to speak, she could hear her own voice in her head speaking them, but for some damn reason she never managed to say them.

_Why can't I?_

_Naruto, I'm sorry!_ She wanted to say.

_I'm the worst person there is. You don't deserve me!_ She wanted to say._ You deserve someone way better than me!_

But her lips were parted becoming dry as her tears flowed from her turquoise eyes and her heart ached.

"I'm sorry!" Naruto said and walked away. Again…

_Wait!_

"Wait!" Sakura gasped. Naruto turned to look at her worried over his shoulder.

"_Sakura, let me go. And go save N-Naruto. He needs you more than I do. Go!" _she remembered Sasuke's words as he was bleeding to death in her arms.

The living should stick with the living…

There's no point in living in a lie you build, believing that you'll be happy. A lie where the ones you've lost are there with you, smiling at you, loving you like they always did. No, Sakura thought as she searched the truth in Naruto's bright blue eyes.

I should move on… I shouldn't be sad every time I think of him. He might be gone from me, from us, but… he's with his brother now, he's back with his family now, she thought tasting her own salty tears as Sasuke's face filled with pain, blood and tears was staring at the nothingness inside her memory.

"I…!" Sakura began and dried her tears with the back of her palm. "I promised Sasuke that… I would watch over you! He said-that _you_ are he's real brother!" she let a sob and looked up at Naruto's tears as they flowed on his parted lips.

"I even made a promise to myself!" she paused taking a deep breath. "I-I promised I would become stronger to protect the ones I love, my friends and my village. The ones… I love!"

Sakura shut her eyes forcefully as the heaviness on her heart crushed her soul.

"I don't want to lose you, Naruto! I But if I break your heart like this then… you should stop loving me! You should stop- caring about me s-so much! I'm only going to break your heart more!"

She hid her face in her palms.

"Sakura!" Naruto touched her hands and gently drove them away from her face as he dried her tears.

The unbearable feeling of fear covered every thought and her heart followed this path beating faster and faster as her skin burned under his touch.

"So guilty… as you want to give more, but cannot. Go against your feelings while you know it'll only hurt the other. And you only want to scream for this unjustified cruelty!" a man's voice said loudly from not far from them.

Sakura and Naruto broke their personal moment searching around for the stranger that had interrupted.

Sakura knew that voice, that deep, hoarse voice of the man who always appeared unnoticed everywhere she was.

She spotted him standing like being part of the forest, hidden between the leaves of the pine trees, his dark cloak camouflaging him in the environment.

Kuroi lifted his blue gaze towards them and smiled that threatening and arrogant smile of his. He made some steps forward causing Naruto to flinch. He drew out in a less than a second a kunai in each hand and took an attacking posture.

Sakura brushed her hand on his forearm to signal him not to move.

"This is the Nine-Tails!" Kuroi commented looking at Naruto.

Sakura heard an angry grunt from Naruto.

"Who's that fucking bastard?" Naruto hissed gritting his teeth.

Sakura gave Kuroi her angriest look, feeling her chakra flow wake inside her limbs.

"That is Kuroi! Madara's loyal follower!" she told him.

Naruto was about to strike, but Sakura, thanks to the sudden burst of chakra through her arms, managed to keep Naruto next to her before doing anything stupid.

He growled angrily.

"Let me break his neck!"

"No, Naruto! He obviously wants only to _talk_! Am I right?" Sakura asked looking at Kuroi with irony.

Kuroi smirked looking glad with Sakura's calm reaction.

"Where's your boss?" Naruto shouted, his face altered with frustration and fury.

Kuroi stroked the handle of his katana.

"The blossoms that march to death as the snow falls. Spring drowns in the endless winter as the black crows break the silence." Kuroi said his eyes shining dangerously as they pierced Sakura.

Suddenly the air felt thinner and her lungs fought for more air.

Those words, she thought. That old man from the village had spoken them…

"What?" she muttered to herself remembering the old man's reaction to her pink hair, and the little boys' sayings about some legend of the _shinobi of blossoms_.

"I hate people who act like smart-asses before battle!" Naruto growled and released himself from Sakura's grip and attacked Kuroi.

He ran like thunder towards him, causing a cloud of dirt to arise after his steps. Sakura watched how Kuroi didn't even draw his katana and simply dodged Naruto's attack landing a couple of feet next to him. Naruto halted and growled furious with the miss. He turned to look at Kuroi and threw towards him the kunais.

When Kuroi realized they bore explosive tags, he jumped up high and landed on a branch of one of the pine trees.

"Naruto! Watch it!" Sakura shouted as she noticed Kuroi fill his feet with a great amount of chakra. He jumped down towards Naruto, ready to crush his skull with his chakra-filled feet, but Naruto rather easily swirled around himself to avoid the hit and appear behind Kuroi's back, holding a new kunai tight in his hand.

Sakura grabbed four shurinken in her right hand and threw them towards different directions at one aim; Kuroi's special chakra spots on his legs in order to stop the flow through them as they were still glowing intensely with blue light. None of them hit a spot, and Sakura ran closer to help Naruto.

But when she was close enough, and Naruto was about to cut Kuroi's throat, the Snow shinobi smirked and disappeared behind a cloud of smoke.

"Clone!" Naruto grunted and looked behind Sakura. She followed his stare to see a calm Kuroi stand where they were standing previously.

"Indeed, I'm here only to talk!" he said looking serious.

"You fucking bastard!" Naruto hissed shoving frustrated his cloak out of his arms' way.

Sakura had long realized that Kuroi was only sent to report back to his master about any information he'd get from her. Which meant that Madara was for some reason especially interested in her. Although she didn't yet know what that reason was, this time she would make her best to claim information from him instead of the opposite.

This time, he wouldn't fool her around like this.

"What were those words you said previously?" she asked as calmly as possible.

Naruto glanced at her with a questioning frown.

Kuroi smirked satisfied.

"Those are words of a well-known legend of the northern lands. Have you heard them before?"

So, this would be his topic this time, Sakura thought. Something that had to do with the reason she had looked so strange to the people of the Village of the Eleven Bears.

"Yeah, but what has it to do with Uchiha Madara?" she asked.

"Not as much as it has to do with you!"

Sakura felt Naruto's wondering stare on her.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" he whispered.

She simply grabbed his hand with the kunai and lowered it gently keeping her grip around his wrist a while longer than needed to tell him that she had it under control.

"I thought I made it clear last time that I'm not kidding around here! I _will _find him and I _will _make sure this ends!"

Kuroi nodded.

"Oh, you did! And I did transfer the message to him."

"Aren't you tired of transferring messages, ordered not to attack and just gather information?" she said although she was sure bringing Kuroi against Madara was not going to happen, but still; if Madara read minds then he'll definitely always keep an eye on his followers. This way whatever would trouble Kuroi would be transferred to Madara as well.

"This is not just a job, Haruno-san! This is, as I'm sure you know, a part of a greater plan."

"That's no news!" she muttered.

"Fallen yet glorious, the petals die and the song of death silences all." Kuroi went on with the strange sayings. "There is a legend about a long lost clan that once ruled the Land of Spring." He made a step closer and looked at Sakura with this great intensity that made Sakura feel out of time and space. Like he travelled her through an illusion using simply the tempting power of his stare.

"Centuries ago, the first _shinobi of blossoms_ brought the Land of Spring to great power and prosperity. The cherry trees bloomed all year long, and no northern wind froze the waters, no blizzard storms destroyed the fields. It was the perfect land for a perfect life, where shinobi were no war tools, but protectors of peace. But all good things come to an end…!" he paused and scanned Sakura's frowned expression.

"The _shinobi of blossoms _were eliminated, and because of that the winds became cold, the waters became ice and winter covered the Land of Spring."

"Hmmm!" Naruto said simply, and Sakura glanced at him.

"You came to tell us a bedtime story?" she wondered, giving him an ironic smile.

"Bedtime stories don't contain blood paths and murderings. This is no _story_, it's real history of your hometown, _Haruno-san_!"

Sakura flinched with the strange tone in Kuroi's voice as he called her last name.

"_Are you really a descendant of the shinobi of blossoms?" _she remembered Kai's, the little boy from the Village of the Eleven Bears, words.

"_Sometimes legends are nothing more than real stories!"_ Kai's mysterious grandfather had said.

They were talking about the same legend, the same story. But what did Kuroi imply. It didn't make any sense…

"The deeper you travel through the Land of Snow, the more you'll learn that this is no legend that was born in some inspired people's minds, but the real story about one of the strongest clans that ever existed in the five lands!" he said and with a bow he disappeared into thin air as sudden as he had appeared.

"Dammit!" Naruto shouted and ran with kunais in his hands towards the spot where Kuroi was a second ago.

"Where are you, you son of a bitch?" he shouted.

Sakura stood frozen in her tracks, staring at the empty spot where Kuroi's intense stare used to be.

The real story about one of the strongest clans, she wondered not knowing which way she should let her thoughts go; believe that all this was just another mind game Madara had ordered Kuroi to accomplish, or if what was so clear about all this was actually… true.

_That I am the descendant of one of the strongest clans that ever existed in the five lands…_

She frowned feeling her muscles on her forehead stiff.

But my parents were farmers, they had fields, they harvested every year. I have never ever seen neither my father nor my mother fight or even talk like shinobi, she thought intensely as a grip tightened her guts.

Yet, many were staring at me at the Village of the Eleven Bears, she reminded herself. Even two years, after one year of wandering in the Fire Country since she abandoned Konoha, she had visited the Land of Snow. Back then she thought they had been staring at her because of the mess she was in. Could it be that they had been actually staring at her because they… _knew…_

Know what, she told herself getting frustrated. Why should I believe the stupid words of Kuroi, he has fooled me again in the past.

He had lied to her about the real story behind the attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox eighteen years ago. She had believed him then as well, like some unaware little girl.

She should have been able to tell truths from lies by now, she thought brushing her palm over her face.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked concerned, hiding his kunais when he had made sure that Kuroi had disappeared.

"Ugh! I don't know." She sighed frustrated. "How about you?" she looked up at him.

"Pissed off!" he shot lifting his backpack.

Sakura missed a heartbeat thinking that it was her fault. She avoided his glance nervously.

"N-no! I don't mean… because of you! I-I'm pissed off with that bastard's moron follower, Kuroi or what's his name!" Naruto explained hastily.

Sakura gave him a sad smile, knowing that deep inside she was also an important reason of his frustration, although he denied it.

"He may be a moron, but… he's a cunning one!" she commented, shoving away some strands, her fingers followed gently the lines of the self-made scars on her cheeks. The result of her nearly fatal escape of Madara's genjutsu…

"You believe him?" Naruto asked with a serious tone.

Sakura sighed again more loudly this time.

"Believe what? I have no idea what to believe! I can't even tell if he's lying or not!" she growled, desiring to slap her own face.

"Well…!" Naruto began looking lazily around the clearing. "I don't think that those people at the village were fakes. They had spoken of the same legend, and maybe that's the reason everyone was staring at you!" he chuckled looking thoughtful.

Sakura frowned.

"I never thought that could be the reason!" he scratched the few blonde hairs on his chin grinning.

"Then what did you think?" she shot harshly.

Naruto glanced at her and avoided her stare as a blush crossed his face.

"Anyways, that means that you are a _shinobi of blossoms_! The question is; whether this Kuroi-moron knew that you were praised at the village only some hours ago and that's why he came by now to make it clear to you, or if it's just, well, a coincidence!" he said with an attitude like he was talking about new pranks he had prepared.

Sakura couldn't believe it that Naruto had believed Kuroi; her being the descendant of a mighty clan…

_Of the Haruno clan…_

It sounded so weird, so strange.

She belonged to no clan…

Clans are mighty families that prosper for generations, usually many members living under the same roof and have a special place in the society.

The Harunos she knew, and everybody in Konoha knew, were a small family of three members… that decreased to two…

The Uchihas used to be a clan, the Hyugas were at the moment the most powerful clan of Konoha, the Senjus were a clan, and so on…

Haruno clan, she thought again and again until it sounded right.

But if she was indeed a member of a clan, would it mean that she had relatives somewhere…

Powerful relatives with connections all over the five lands, perhaps they were strong and respectful shinobi…

Sakura found herself smiling slightly, and Naruto noticed.

"What are you thinking?" he wondered beaming at her.

"I have no idea what my ancestors were like, or who they are… I never met any of my grandparents." She recollected.

The image of her parents flashed through her mind, like an old photograph of their happiest memory together. Smiles on their faces and total happiness drawn on their features as they looked at her.

"But… there's one thing not matching; the Land of Spring! Where the hell is this? Does it even exist?" he wondered with such an innocent frown that made Sakura burst into laughter.

Naruto froze not knowing what had been so funny.

Sakura grabbed her stomach, but flinched as it stabbed through her wound. It felt so strange to suddenly laugh after so much had happened.

"Oh dear! Have you ever studied history, silly?" she asked panting.

"What?"

"We've been to the Land of Snow a long time ago, remember? With Sasuke and Kakashi!" she reminded him. It had been one of their first missions as Team 7, to protect a famous actress who would travel to the Land of Snow for the shootings of her new film. It ended up that she was the princess and legal ruler of a town in the far north.

"Hmm! Not really! But that bastard said Land of Spring, not Land of Snow!" he pointed at her.

Sakura chuckled.

"The Land of Snow used to be called the Land of Spring centuries ago."

"Why?"

"No idea! But if we believe this… _legend _then my clan's fall is supposed to be the reason behind it!" she said finding it too funny to believe her own words.

The fact that she had ancestors who had such power over the five lands, being the ruling clan of the once mightiest land, couldn't be true or else she would have been more gifted, right, she thought.

"That sounds fascinating! No wonder Madara is after you!" Naruto said.

Sakura held back not to punch him remembering what had preceded Kuroi's appearance.

Her arm fell on her side as it felt like her insides were too heavy to carry.

Could it be…

Could this be the reason that Madara was after her, trying to find her and find the perfect time to confront her, she wondered.

But… it made no sense…

Why had all these genins been murdered, why had all those ANBU shinobi been slaughtered, why had Madara stormed into Tsunade's room telling that the Kages' and shinobis' era would come to an end…

Why did Sasuke have to die…

It made no sense…

Even if the Haruno clan did exist once upon a time, it made no sense why Madara had not killed her from the beginning instead of causing all this chaos…

"Come! Chie-chan will be back soon. We should inform her about this."

"You'll tell her?" Sakura asked nervously.

Naruto lifted an eyebrow.

"Ehm… yeah, why not?"

Sakura rubbed the back of her neck which felt so stiff.

"Well, maybe she has heard of something that could help." She said since Chie had been more often in the Land of Snow than her, and besides her father used to be a Snow shinobi. If it was indeed such a well-known legend, then she had to know.

Slowly, they walked towards the place where Chie had left them alone, both of them keeping an eye on their surroundings instinctively fearing Kuroi or someone worse would appear out of the blue.

Chie appeared only some minutes later, causing Naruto and Sakura to flinch with fear.

Chie froze with their sudden reaction widening her eyes.

"What-happened-guys? Am I interrupting or something?" she asked mechanically scanning around nervously.

Naruto and Sakura exchanged glances.

"What do you think we were doing?" Sakura wondered frowning at her weird friend.

"Ehm!" Chie glanced at Naruto. "Talking?"

Naruto was the one to start telling Chie what had occurred, while the young kunoichi listened silently widening her eyes even more.

Sakura listened looking calm but feeling exactly the opposite.

It couldn't be real, she rethought it. That the Haruno clan was once the ruling clan of the Land of Spring. The Land of Snow is the biggest land of the five great shinobi lands, which meant that this clan of the _shinobi of blossoms_ had to be of great numbers and really powerful.

It didn't sound right…

But still she could contradict it with nothing, since she had no clue of her family's past.

Chie linked her palms leaning her chin on them.

"That's… amazing!" she said but not sounding like she meant it though. She looked deep in thoughts staring at Sakura.

"Sorry, but it's the first time I hear this legend, story or whatever!" she said.

"Didn't your father tell you fairytales when you were a kid?" Naruto shot.

Chie flinched.

"No! Yours?"

Naruto flinched as well.

Sakura glanced at them nervously, as she knew that neither Chie nor Naruto had ever met their fathers. And in Naruto's case not even his mother…

"Hey! Don't get edgy!" she said calmly. "The legend has nothing to do with our mission. We still are looking for Madara, let's focus on that."

She stood up feeling her friends' eyes following her.

"We know for some reason Kuroi can teleport as well, so that doesn't help us locate his hide-out. But the fact that he found us means he knew where we were, meaning Madara knew and told him. So he knows we're looking for him." She said looking at the tall trees surrounding her as they reached high up the afternoon sky.

"From now on, we'll have to apply the plan of closing our minds!" she said turning to face her teammates.

Naruto immediately smiled showing a fist determined.

"Finally!"

Chie had been briefed, but she looked hesitant.

"That won't stop that Uchiha guy from locating us, will it?"

"No! But we want him to know where we are, so that he'll come to us. Chie-chan, if he wanted us dead it would have happened a long time ago. He had the chance… but he hasn't!"

"Yet!" Chie added.

Sakura placed her hands on her hips.

"Until we meet him, we have to find out more about him. The more we learn about him, the best it is to form techniques against him. Every shinobi, even the most powerful and fierce ones have their weaknesses. If we find out even one of them, then we have a chance! That's what we're after!" Sakura said, flames growing inside of her.

"Madara's past!" Naruto said with sparkles of excitement in his eyes.

"Exactly!" Sakura agreed sharing Naruto's excitement and tickling feeling in her guts to finally achieve what they had been fighting for so long.

They faced each other showing fists and smiling as their minds linked the hope that was becoming stronger and stronger inside of them like the fire under a wind. They would finally avenge the losses of their beloved ones, and finally their home and their friends would be safe from the evil that was lurking in Uchiha Madara's form…

________________

As the cloak of the summer night covered the sky and the creatures of the night came out of their nests, a dark figure walked through the forest of pine trees. His feet made no sound, his breathing was unheard, and his black cloak hugged his body like it protected him from curious eyes.

While his eyes saw all, infiltrated through every mind of every creature that was near him.

Weak whispers of smaller animals, louder ones floating inside bigger beings' brains. But he shut that chakra flow through his own mind, as he didn't want to listen to any thoughts anymore. He only wanted to hear his own ones as he came closer and closer to his target.

To the only descendant of his greatest enemy, of the greatest opponent he had ever faced…

Her eyelids were flickering slightly and he fought the urge of reading her mind and see what she was dreaming.

He got lost staring at her soft, pale skin and his stare halted at the dark scars on the cheeks. He could see the cells forming new skin over the destroyed cells with an incredible speed.

Her long eyelashes moved suddenly, and he missed a heartbeat.

That was a strange feeling, and he wondered how long it had been since he last felt this fear grabbing his heart.

Days, years, decades… they didn't matter anymore to him. It was all only a way to measure human time, a right he had lost long ago…

While she… she was so young yet held the gifts of centuries inside her genes…

This beautiful creature slept so deeply, unaware of his existence so close to her, unaware of the reality that would soon hit her, unaware of the path fate hold for her…

_Haruno Sakura-san… soon… we'll meet…_

____

**Well... what do you think :)**

**Hope you liked it and have a clue of Madara's real intensions... though I assure you it's not what you think! hehehe**

**Thank you so much for reading faithful readers, take care! ***


	40. Review

**Hello there!**

**This has been a rather looong absence from this story, but honestly i never gave up on it! and finally here it goes on XD. This chapter is nothing but a small review of what has happened so far, just so we're all on the same track! next follows the continuing chapter... ENJOY!**

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* * *

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Three years after Pain's and the Akatsuki's attack at the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a new power has arisen.

This power belongs to Uchiha Madara, the last Uchiha standing.

But it seemed that Uchiha Madara had been behind this from the very beginning, ever since the attack of the Nine-Tailed Demon in the form of a Fox which was defeated by the Fourth Hokage of Konoha. Madara is considered the strongest and oldest shinobi alive, possessing the best developed Sharingan in history and abilities like teleportation and mind reading.

Under the commands of the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, the Leaf ninjas were fighting against the Akatsuki. During that endless fight, Uzumaki Naruto fought against Pain but as he reached the Sage level he lost control under the pressure of the Nine-Tailed Fox which was sealed inside of him.

Although Naruto did defeat Pain, he had reached a dangerous state. He had gained the form of a fiery fox with eight tails. But Naruto's friend and forever comrade saved him, with the cost of his own life. That shinobi was Uchiha Sasuke.

It had been not long since Team 7 was reunited, and fate took Sasuke for once and for all out of Naruto's and Haruno Sakura's lives. But still Sasuke was there…

It was a loss, which Naruto managed to get over by training more and more, strengthening his own chakra and body since he was free from the tailed demon.

But Sakura had never been as courageous and strong as her two beloved teammates. Sasuke's death was killing her from the inside. As a result she abandoned her village, feeling lost, jealous of her mentor's, Tsunade, and Naruto's strength.

It was three years later that Sakura and Naruto meet again, during which this time, Naruto became a jonin and an even more respectable shinobi, while Sakura trained all by herself travelling around the Lands. She fought many ninjas and met more. One of them accompanied her along the way. Her name was Chie and whom she met in the Land of Snow. She helped Sakura develop her Water techniques. In addition, Sakura spent almost a year in a clinic in the north of the Land of Snow working on a research considering the Sharingan.

In spring, feeling a lot more confident and strong, Sakura makes the decision to return home.

In the meantime, Tsunade and the Kages of the Lands face Uchiha Madara's threat. Genins are found missing and an ANBU team finds the dead body of one.

The Hokage sends out more ANBU teams but they all fail. Luckily some information manages to reach the Hokage's hands.

Being in great despair, Tsunade sends a team with her most trustworthy shinobi to look into the matter. The team consists of Kakashi, Tenzo/Yamato, Turo and, the best medic-nin after Tsunade herself, Sakura. They reach the Village of the Blue Tree coming across Thunder ninjas who seem to be working under Madara's most well known accomplice, Kuroi; a military ninja from the Land of Snow.

At the same time, another team consisting of Naruto, Hyuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru, Shizune and two Sand shinobi led by Temari, the Kazekage's sister, reach the Land of Thunders to investigate the murder of Sand genins.

The team led by Kakashi defeats the Thunder ninjas, after they found out that they had delivered an unknown object to Kuroi, but Sakura gets severely injured and the only hope for her is to visit her friend Chie who lives in the nearest village; the Village of the Golden Path.

It turns out to Kakashi's great surprise that Chie is the thirteen year old daughter of his former teammate, whom he thought dead; Rin.

Rin is also a very skilled medic-nin and saves Sakura offering her hospitality to the Leaf shinobi. Kakashi has to deal not only with his haunting past, but with some disturbing news considering his Sharingan. After a lot of convincing from Sakura, something that creates an uncomfortable atmosphere between them, Kakashi accepts to have a surgery right after this mission is completed.

Naruto's team, on the other hand, faces Ichirou, another accomplice of Madara. But things turn against them, when Madara himself appears in front of Neji and Temari. Neji is being kidnapped, while Naruto and Temari are in a coma living through a genjutsu laid upon them by Madara's Sharingan.

Kakashi, Turo, Tenzo/Yamato and Sakura return to Konoha along with Rin and Chie. Tsunade is anything but happy with the result of their mission and blames Kakashi. Not long before they returned, Tsunade had her own encounter with Madara. He confessed to her hints of his plan and one of them worried her more; the fact that he was after Sakura.

Tsunade orders hidden ANBU shinobi to watch over her at all times, but still Madara succeeds in drowning Sakura into a strong genjutsu while she is standing in front of the well guarded Hokage tower.

Rin is the one who manages to undo the illusion technique of Madara and awakens Temari and Naruto, but they find out that the technique used upon Sakura was different. In fact, one night being under Kakashi's watch, Sakura frees herself from that genjutsu by injuring herself almost to death.

While Sakura is in recovery, Tsunade and Ibiki, the leader of the ANBU's Torture and Interrogation force, interrogate a hostage brought by Shikamaru's team, who was one of Ichirou's followers. He turns out to be innocent and is being now protected by the Hokage.

Kakashi has a seizure and Rin, Tsunade and Sakura are forced to operate on his Sharingan.

Sakura plans with Naruto to leave the village and discover Madara's hideout and eliminate him, having though a greater plan underneath in order to fool Madara's ability to read minds. On their way of escaping the ANBU forces that were looking over Sakura, Chie follows them secretly.

At the same time, Turo was sent to the Land of Waves along with Hinata, Shino and Kiba with Akamaru seeking for information about Madara's past which Tsunade hopes will be useful to fight and eliminate Madara. But, even there, Madara appears in front of Hinata.

Following another lead, Jiraya is doing his own research about Uchiha Madara in the Land of Snow.

Sakura, Chie and Naruto head towards Jiraya hoping he'll have reached to some adequate information they could use. But on their way through the Village of the Eleven Bears, Sakura has to deal with gossiping about her family. Naruto finds himself unable to hide his affection towards Sakura, but this creates a great void in their already unstable relationship. Chie tries to reason them.

That's when Kuroi appears, under Madara's commands, in front of Naruto and Sakura and talks about a legend of a very powerful clan which once ruled the Land of Spring, the former name of the Land of Snow. They were called the _shinobi of blossoms_, and it seems that Sakura is a descendant of that long lost clan.

Now the story follows the three young ninjas through the Land of Snow as they go through not only the threat of facing and eventually fighting the most powerful shinobi alive, but also with the threat that lingers between them…


	41. Faded

**Faded**

_Naruto sighed deeply as he searched the sun in the bright sky. It was so clear, so vast his mind couldn't bear it, because he was so small compared to this big world. His own feelings had become too heavy on his shoulders, and nothing could help him stand up._

_Only the sun…_

_He wanted to look at this star of flames. He wanted so much to look up at it and feel the tears form. The sun was his excuse for crying. Its brightness, its glory, its influence on him._

His_ brightness, _his_ glory and _his_ influence on him…_

_"Damn you!" Naruto cursed, for the millionth time._

_His chin touched his bare collarbone and his nails forced their way through the skin of his sweaty palms._

_For one more day, he was here at the training fields of Team 7._

_Time had become irrelevant to him, as had his natural needs of food and water. If Jiraya didn't come every once in a while to force him to eat, Naruto would have starved to death. But he didn't mind. Food was irrelevant._

_Everything was irrelevant._

_Nobody dared speak to him, as he had turned into a depressed young shinobi who trained without ending. He hadn't been home for many nights. He only slept when he would pass out of exhaustion. His body was in great pain and his muscles were breaking into spasms, but even this was all irrelevant to Naruto._

_His heart had turned into stone and his will had focused into one single thing: to forget…_

_Naruto kicked the non-existent enemy that stood in front of him. His crimson red eyes were piercing him awakening his determination to destroy this enemy. He kicked and punched and swirled and kicked again and again and again._

_He barely used ninjutsu techniques, he only trained his body. There was no soul and no spiritual energy inside of him to train. All chakra he used to have, had disappeared._

_"Naruto!"_

_Naruto turned around, his eyes burning and his knuckles bleeding. His eyelids felt too heavy to look up at Ero-sennin._

_"Wanna go grab a bite?" Jiraya asked with his usual grin of his standing at some distance._

_Everyone who came to see him acted so indifferently. Like nothing had happened, as if the only disaster that had happened here was the collapse of the Hokage tower. For all of them, this was only the destruction of something that could be mended again…_

_And he hated it…_

_He looked at Jiraya over his shoulder panting._

_"What do you want?" he asked, his voice hoarse and deep._

_"Teuchi-san hasn't seen you in a while and starts to wonder where you a-!"_

_"Then tell him. If he really wants to know!" Naruto shot at him and looked to his front where his enemy was waiting for him to make his next move._

_Naruto glared at those red eyes, noticing that something dark began to swirl inside those irises._

_"No!" he growled and attacked._

_He created as many shadow clones as he could._

_"Multi-Shadow Clone jutsu!"_

_He ran with all his strength to the enemy, but suddenly everything became blurry. His legs were shaking and he tripped over. Next to him sounds of puffs! proved his failure in creating multi shadow clones; there had been only three._

_"Damn you!" Naruto growled again punching the ground._

_He looked up. The enemy kneeled to look down at him face to face. The red eyes were no longer the Sharingan he knew, but had turned into the Mangekyo Sharingan._

_Naruto missed many heartbeats as this man whose face he didn't know forced Naruto's chin up and smirked at him victoriously._

_"How much you have gained… and how much you have lost!" the man with the Mangekyo Sharingan whispered and then his form started fading away like smoke caught up in a swirling current._

_Naruto gasped for air as the red eyes where the last thing left, giving him the last look of pity._

_"No!" he growled._

_"NOOO!"_

_"Naruto!" Jiraya called and approached Naruto hastily._

_"What is-!"_

_"Get away from me!" Naruto growled pushing his master away. With a jump Naruto was up, but his head suddenly started moving around._

_"Argh!" the pain had become intense and his limbs started shaking, so he collapsed back on the ground, and a very familiar voice echoed from far away._

_"Get up, you dobe!"_

* * *

_"He's in deep sleep." A man's voice whispered._

_"Three days… He's exhausted himself." A deeper voice added._

_"Hmm! Not without a reason though." The first voice said._

_There was silence for a while. A chair moved and suddenly the light became brighter inside the room._

_"How is Sakura doing?" the first man asked._

_Naruto inhaled deeply and tried to keep his eyes shut in order to hear what the two men were about to say._

_Sakura-chan…_

_Indeed, how is she, he wondered. He hadn't thought of her for a long while. He actually hadn't thought of anyone else for a while except one person._

_"I could say… she acts too maturely. But you can tell that she has become an empty shell. Just like him!"_

_Naruto suppressed the urge of standing up and running out of this place wherever it was to go and find her. But… if he did find her, what should he do. What could he say. He couldn't give her courage, he couldn't comfort her, when he himself was a mess._

_He had no power to face her._

_If he did, all the things he was trying to forget all these days through training and training only, would go to waste._

_It would all be for nothing…_

_Everything was for nothing really, Naruto thought._

_His endless efforts to find him and bring him back home. His fights and battles with Orochimaru, with the Akatsuki, with that Uchiha Madara… all was for nothing, because the reason all this happened… was now dead._

_"Naruto, I know you can hear us!" Jiraya said in a low tone._

_Naruto opened up his eyes and after some moments he was able to see his master sitting by the chair next to him and his sensei standing by the window._

_Kakashi-sensei nodded at him with his usual calm look. He noticed that Kakashi's left leg was tied in bandages._

_"How are you feeling?" Jiraya asked, his big arms folded on his chest. His face was also calm as his eyes scanned Naruto._

_Naruto only looked at his master, desiring to growl at everyone about everything._

_But he kept all this to himself. He turned to look at Kakashi-sensei._

_"Have you seen Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, not recognizing his own deep, tired voice._

_"Yes, I have." Kakashi said simply moving slightly from his position._

_Naruto swallowed and his throat felt dry._

_"How-how is she?" he asked._

_He caught himself looking deep into Kakashi's one eye, trying to find the answer he was about to tell him._

_"I think… she is worse than you." He said causing Naruto's heart sink._

_Naruto lifted himself up, the muscles of his body growing stiff._

_"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei? What is going on?"_

_Kakashi limped slightly closer to the bed and leaned on the back of Jiraya's chair to look properly at Naruto._

_"Nothing, that's the problem. She hasn't done anything at all. She is too calm, too quiet." Kakashi paused and exchanged a worried glance with Jiraya. "At least you found a way to take out all of your frustration, Naruto…"_

_Kakashi's look made Naruto grow numb._

_So, Sakura is worse than I am, he thought._

_He clenched his fists and bit the inside of his cheeks._

_"I must see her." He said._

_Jiraya and Kakashi exchanged looks again._

_"I'll take you to her." Jiraya said and offered Naruto a hand._

* * *

_The sun was setting, as Jiraya and Naruto were walking slowly through the dusty roads of Konoha. There were still everywhere ruins and the smell of dust and death was covering the hidden Leaf Village. You couldn't listen to any children shouting and playing, or the villagers gossiping, laughing or even quarrelling. There was only silence._

_The bright warm colours of the sunset reminded Naruto of that day, when all he could see was blood and those red eyes…_

_Naruto froze._

_Here was supposed to be the Hokage tower, but there stood only a huge pile of stones and pieces of wood. The beautiful colourful tower that used to stand majestic in front of the mountain with the five faces of the Hokages was gone. Everything seemed so empty._

_Like a bad dream…_

_"What are we doing here?" Naruto wondered._

_Jiraya pressed his lips together staring at the absent building._

_"In the meantime, the Hokage tower has moved into the police station until they rebuild the tower." He said._

_"They're going to rebuild it?" Naruto frowned._

_Jiraya looked down at him._

_"Yeah, why shouldn't they?"_

_"Because one day it's going to fall again, right?" Naruto said simply staring at the point where the entrance door used to be._

_"Why build something that will only fall apart again, huh?" Naruto continued looking back at his master._

_Jiraya lifted his eyebrows and folded his arms._

_"Because building; it feels good!" he said with a grin._

_Naruto wanted to punch that old man._

_Now was not the time for fun bullshit, now all he wanted was for this damn nightmare to end._

_"Let's go to Sakura." He said and moved forward feeling Jiraya's stare._

_Finally, at the police station there were many people moving around quickly, shouting, yelling, making noises, proving that there was still some life left in this village._

_Desks were piled up the one next to the other and people with the Konoha badge were running up and down the building._

_"Naruto!" Naruto turned around to find the source of that voice._

_Neji appeared out of nowhere in front of him with a look Naruto perhaps had never seen on Neji's face; fear and pain._

_"Neji."_

_"It's good to see you." Neji said nodding lightly his head without taking his pale eyes without pupils off of him._

_Naruto didn't know what he felt. He didn't feel happy to see him, neither did he feel hatred. He only felt anger. But in Neji's eyes he saw that this guy was going through his own hell. He wasn't pretending that everything was alright, that nothing bad had happened, like he saw in Jiraya's eyes._

_Naruto bowed his head and left without a single word._

_Jiraya and Naruto climbed up some stairs to find a big area which was even more crowded than the downstairs floor._

_In the far end, Naruto caught a glimpse of pink hair._

_"Sakura!" he muttered to himself, not believing that she was actually here._

_She was here, a part of his never-ending nightmare. Suddenly he wanted to speak to her, listen to her voice, and look into her eyes, just to make sure if this was indeed a dream or… not._

_Naruto pushed everyone who appeared in his way and ran towards Sakura. She had her back turned to him working on a huge pile of scrolls and papers._

_When he was only a step away from her, he could already smell her scent, see the tense muscles on the back of her neck, distinguish the darker pink strands from the lighter ones. This dream of his had finally become bearable…_

_"Sakura!" Naruto whispered._

_The girl froze in her steps._

_Naruto hoped she would turn around and look at him, hug him and whisper to him encouraging words. But she didn't. She stayed there, her back towards him._

_"What are you doing here?" her voice was low and he noticed a slight tremble in it._

_"I'm sorry… I didn't visit you earlier." Naruto said, feeling it hard to speak. He was so close to her he wanted to grab her hand and take her away from this crowded, noisy place. Take her somewhere quiet and peaceful, where they could just sit there and listen to the silence of this vivid nightmare._

_"You didn't have to." She said and continued dividing the scrolls and the papers._

_Naruto shut his eyes and clenched his fists. This was his way to get over this wave of anger and frustration that was taking over him. He imagined the river flowing by the training grounds of Team 7, and the rustling sound of the trees, and the sound of his laughter._

_Naruto smiled and his heart slowed down its beat._

_"Come with me!" he told her, as the darkness inside his head grew brighter._

_"Come with me, Sakura!"_

_"I have to work." She muttered going on with doing whatever she was doing._

_"Sakura…"_

_"I must work Naruto. So leave. Please." Sakura shot sharply glancing at him over her shoulder._

_"How long have you been working?" he asked._

_"I'm not counting the days." She muttered annoyed._

_"Is it seven days?" Naruto went on, knowing that only if he made her angry she would turn to look at him._

_"What the hell do you want?" Sakura did turn around to look at him, staring at him with steady eyes._

_Naruto hadn't looked into those turquoise eyes for so long, that it felt like it was the first time looking into them._

_"I don't know what I want."_

_"Then let me do my job."_

_"Is this what you want?"_

_Sakura stayed silent looking at him. He knew she was searching his face. He knew what pain she felt, and he knew why she acted so tough._

_"You're planning something, aren't you?"_

_Sakura didn't blink her eyes once as she continued staring at him._

_"Then you know what I want!"_

_"Sakura! We can go through this together! You don't have to-!"_

_"You started it, Naruto! You were the first one to shut everybody out!" Sakura whispered. The wrinkles on her forehead grew deeper._

_Naruto missed a heartbeat._

_"Now it's too late!" Sakura said and turned her back to him again._

_Naruto lifted his hand to touch her hair, but the air around her felt like it was made of cold iron. He couldn't touch her, he couldn't even convince her to stay with him._

_She was too far away to reach…_

_She had left this world, while he had no idea. While he was too selfish and drowned in his own torment. He had forgotten that Sakura loved him more than he did…_

_"I'm not as strong as you!" Naruto heard her say._

_"So I beg you…" Sakura moved her head slightly enough for Naruto to see a glimpse of a tear. "Do not follow me!"_

_Naruto shut his eyes as his thoughts traveled back to the calmness the training grounds of Team 7 brought him._

_"If that's what you want… I won't stand in your way." He muttered and left._

* * *

After running with top speed since dawn, Sakura, Chie and Naruto reached the natural border of the Fire Country and the Land of Snow. A huge river extended towards the east with such force no one dared to swim across it.

Majestic mountains rose in the north, their peaks hidden in thick clouds and a cold wind blew inviting them in this unfriendly land.

Sakura searched the vast area remembering the last time she had come here. It had been winter and the mountains were standing like gigantic rulers guarding the land covered in snow. But back then she had been too deep in sorrow to fear the strange air of unwelcoming this place gave her. Now she could feel it.

There were no trees visible, just plain earth and rocks. Only some bushes grew along the edges of the wild river.

Naruto approached the slippery rocks by the river. The rustling sound of the water covered even the whistling of the northern wind.

"How do we get on the other side?" Naruto asked checking with his eyes the distance.

Sakura tightened her backpack on her shoulders and gave her friend a smile.

"Let's take advantage of the Water and the Wind, what say?" she asked him.

She had woken up that morning in a good mood and her instinct told her that this day would flow quite well. So, she had promised to herself to make everything possible to make it right. One of them was to restore the somehow shattered relationship she had with Naruto.

"Huh?" he frowned.

"There's no bridge to cross, and there's no way we can swim it, so we must create a solid path to get on the other side." Chie explained calmly.

"Can't we walk over it?" Naruto wondered with his usual curious tone.

Sakura pointed at the turbulent waters crashing on the rocks and creating swirls on the surface.

"It's dangerous. See the power in the waters? Our chakra would never be enough to bring us safely back on land."

Naruto looked angry.

"Why's that? It's water, isn't it? We put chakra in our feet and walk as simple as that!" he argued and was about to prove it, but both Chie and Sakura grabbed him before his feet even glowed in a dim blue light.

"Hey!"

"Are you even listening?" Chie growled.

"You can only walk up to ten, maybe twenty meters away until you get so exhausted you'll finally slip through and eventually break your neck on some rock!" Chie came closer to Naruto looking at him with an irritated look. Suddenly she placed both her palms on his cheeks like she was scolding him.

He blushed in a flinch.

"Listen for once to girls! Believe it that sometimes they know more than men!" she joked and laughed walking past him next to Sakura.

Sakura met Naruto's eyes and couldn't help but chuckle with the surprised look of his and the blush on his face.

Chie reminded her of the way she herself used to make fun of Naruto every time he wouldn't understand something very simple. Innocent gestures between friends and teammates. Now… she didn't dare to touch him anymore because of this strange heaviness that lingered in her stomach every time she was close to him.

Everything had changed, and she wasn't sure if this was good or not. All she knew was that she hated it. She hated it getting so distant from her best friend because of such stupidity.

And on top of that, he must be feeling the same way. He had become shyer against her, he wouldn't make the same jokes anymore.

Why couldn't she be so calm and cool like Chie was, she wondered and suddenly noticed she had been staring into Naruto's bright blue eyes more than needed and quickly drew her gaze away.

"Ok, I'm listening! How then did you get across the last time?" he asked crossing his arms under his cloak.

Sakura felt Chie's beaming stare.

When she had met Chie and they had traveled together to the Land of Snow a long time ago, it had been one of the first times she had used the power of Water. It was still the beginning of her development in Water element techniques and thanks to Chie she had found the trick behind the control of such a powerful forceful element.

Combining Water and Wind a new element, Ice, was created. Sakura and Chie formed each their own hand signals and their palms lit with a dim blue light as the chakra was forming in a compressed form. Sakura felt the energy flow from her centre towards her hands as the flow was activated by the hand signals.

Sakura closed her eyes as the compressed chakra started swirling like a miniature tornado above her hands. The energy made of light turned into water as it gathered liquid from the atmosphere and the strong river. With the corner of her eyes, Sakura noticed Chie's chakra turn from light into compressed air which was hissing around her.

The snake made of water and the snake made of wind connected as Chie and Sakura completed the hand signals ending up both signaling the _horse_. The two element techniques formed one and the swirling little snake turned into an icy spiral. The cracking sound of ice breaking brought Sakura memories back, from that last time she was here.

The snake rushed towards the wide river and crushed upon its surface with a hissing sound.

Chie and Sakura focused their chakra still keeping their hands signaling as they witnessed the Ice technique freeze the surface of the river in an instant. It only formed a narrow path, since the river was too strong. Sakura could feel her hands burn as the chakra demand grew because of the river's great energy. She noticed Chie had a hard time as well.

The ice began to crack as it glowed under the dim sunlight.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked worried staring at the thin icy path shaking dangerously on the rushing waves and swirls of the river.

"It's like… the river doesn't want us to go to the other side!" Chie grunted panting.

Sakura glanced at her fearing that they wouldn't last long shoving off their energy towards the path.

"Who does that river think it is?" Naruto growled and he ran towards the icy path.

"NO!" Chie and Sakura screamed, but Naruto was already running over the ice as it started cracking into hundreds of pieces with every step of his.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted and she focused even more on her chakra doubling the flow hoping it would be enough for Naruto to reach the other side on time.

Naruto slipped as a wave reached his knees and he almost lost his balance but grabbed the last minute. The river sounded as if an angry beast was growling. The clouds started flowing faster over their heads from the north.

Sakura felt her heart race knowing too well that they wouldn't make it. Naruto wouldn't make it.

"Dammit!" she hissed through her teeth unable to think of anything. She could perform Water techniques, but right now… right now she was afraid. She was so afraid of everything, but most of all… she feared she would lose another friend because of her weakness.

Even now, in front of a natural obstruction, in front of a river, which was supposed to be her element, she was weak…

"SAKURA! GET A GRIP!" Chie shouted snapping her out of her thoughts.

Sakura flinched and missed a heartbeat seeing a huge dark line formed where the icy path used to be. The ice was nowhere, it must have been destroyed eventually by the strong river. Instead, hundred Narutos were swimming in the water holding their arms tightly creating a chain from one shore to the other.

Sakura gapped.

"COME ON! HURRY UP!" Naruto shouted from the other end of the river being the last one on the line.

"Come!" Chie said and hurried inside the water holding herself on the first shadow clone of Naruto who was holding tight with his one hand the rocks and with the other the next clone.

Sakura followed and gasped feeling the icy cold water rush through her clothes and her bandaged wounds all over her body. She felt like being kicked on the back as she slipped inside. The current was incredibly strong it felt like someone was pulling her hard from her ankles. She held tight on Naruto and blushed as she found herself being literally glued on him.

But he is only a clone, she tried to remind herself and fought hard to make it to the next Naruto.

"I'm sorry!" she muttered with a shaking voice at the blonde seeing through his bright blue eyes. The clone gave her a smile, but he looked too focused on keeping hold to the other clones.

Chie had already reached the middle of the Naruto-chain when she turned towards the real Naruto at the end of the line.

"Are you holding up?" Chie shouted above the loud rushing sound of the angry river.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP AND HURRY!" Naruto yelled. He sounded tired, so Sakura pushed harder to move faster. But the river was too strong and she felt all her wounds awaken reminding her suddenly that she was indeed too weak for such heroic actions. She grunted in pain feeling her limbs grow numb.

She grabbed tightly Naruto's shoulders trying to catch her breath.

"Come, Sakura-chan! You can do it!" the clone whispered to her with that casual grin of Naruto's.

Sakura looked at him wondering even though he was only a clone of the real Naruto, why did he feel so real, so _Naruto_.

She looked away from his stare and forced herself to the next Naruto, and the next one, and the next one.

"I'M GONNA GET RIPPED HERE!" the first Naruto of the chain growled in pain, holding on to the rocks slightly with his fingers.

"SHUT UP!" the real Naruto shouted back at his clone annoyed.

Sakura recognized the pain in the real Naruto's voice. She couldn't feel her feet anymore and it hurt. Her forearms stung with pain as she was trying to pull herself onto every next Naruto, and her lungs felt like they were shrinking with every exhale.

She was panting hard and took a moment as she realized that she had left the other side a long way behind. She grunted again and looked up at Naruto's eyes searching for the needed courage to keep on. But her heart stopped beating when instead of the bright blue eyes she had grown so fond of she met two red eyes. Crimson red eyes were staring back at her in Naruto's eye sockets. She left an unsounded scream and let her grip from the clone's shoulders and the river hit her hard as she was being pulled from her ankles. Before drowning underwater she saw those red eyes for one last time as a thin black spiral was swirling inside the red irises.

Sakura heard whooshing and rustling and growling as dark colours were spinning in front of her eyes. She couldn't breathe. She tried to, but her insides immediately filled up with ice cold water. She fought her way back up, but the current was too strong spinning her around and around. Suddenly there was no up and down. There was no water and no air.

There was only deep sorrow, and one fact: she was weak…

* * *

"_Come with me!" Naruto said, worry and sadness in his voice. But there was still hope shining bright in his beautiful eyes. There was all she thought was gone; hope, beauty, the reminder that her dream could still come true. He offered her his hand and she smiled feeling so lucky to have known this promising, young shinobi._

_The blue sky that extended above them and the trees surrounding them looked familiar. She turned around feeling the midday sunrays warming up her shoulders, and saw the front gates of Konoha standing majestic. She smiled as her welling heart started calming down._

_She was home…_

_Suddenly she felt a presence next to her and out of nowhere a huge flock of crows rushed through the sky._

_Sakura flinched when she noticed Naruto standing next to her, wearing his orange-black outfit and his worn sandals. Sakura froze noticing tears forming in his blue eyes and his lips parted._

"_Naruto!" she gasped feeling suddenly as if she was inside a dream. Feeling as if she had been here before, feeling exactly like she was feeling right now. Like the world around her didn't feel real, like she knew nothing at all, and all she could hear was a voice shouting inside her head one name…_

"_Sasuke!"_

_She followed Naruto's stare and saw _him_. Sasuke, with a blurry face, he was coming closer and closer, with a white dirty shirt showing of his bruised chest._

_Sakura missed a heartbeat remembering the day Sasuke had returned. The day Team 7 had met again. The day she felt whole again, there, between the two most important persons of her life. Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto and Sasuke._

_She felt warm tears gliding on her cheeks and her heart beating fast._

_She hoped she could see his face clearer, blaming her tears… but she couldn't admit to herself that it wasn't the tears that blurred Sasuke's face, but instead it was her fading memory…_

_The one person that had been occupying her mind for such a long time it felt like eternity, was finally becoming only a name, a vague but still important existence of her past. One that, like everything else she had lost, was fading away…_

"_Sasuke!"_

_Hearing her own voice calling his name didn't bring back the details of his face. She couldn't remember the dark tints of grey in his black eyes, or the way the edges of his lips lifted slightly when he smiled or smirked, the way the strands played along the angles of his firm jaws, the way he stood still and protective when he was next to her, the way he smelled…_

_Sakura cried noticing that Sasuke's form had become nothing but a shadow there between the trees and the crows. She let a sob not believing that… she had forgotten him…_

"_No!" she cried and flinched when a warm hand held hers radiating hope through her body. She looked at Naruto next to her seeing everything she had forgotten of Sasuke. Naruto was real, he was next to her staring at the spot where their best friend and loving comrade used to be._

_His eyes were a darker blue, but bright freckles lingered in the irises like clouds in the afternoon sky. Tiny diamonds were settling at the corners of his eyes and his thin lips were forming a sad smile. Although his insides were falling apart, Sakura could still feel such a vivid energy flowing from him. Even here, watching their best friend disappear for the last time in front of their eyes, Naruto still looked alright. Maybe he was crying and maybe his smile was telling his friend goodbye, but Sakura still saw hope and ambition in his eyes, in his posture, in the way he was holding her hand tight._

_And most importantly, he was _there_… with her…_

_

* * *

_

"Hn!" Sakura grunted feeling as if boulders had collapsed over her. She tried to lift her head, but she felt dizzy grunting.

She blinked many times trying to make something out from her blurry surroundings. The sun was glowing dimly behind thick, white clouds. The air felt humid and cold. Bare rocks surrounded her and a continuous whooshing sound covered the dead silence of this place. The growling river was flowing beside her and she remembered what had happened.

Sakura gasped and shivered searching around for her friends.

She had let go of Naruto's clone and the river had drifted her away… she had seen those eyes… she had seen the Sharingan…

Sakura quickly lifted herself up trying to forget the piercing pain all over her body by focusing on her surroundings. He had been here… the way he had appeared days ago in Konoha by the Hokage tower drowning her into an illusion. Madara had appeared inside Naruto's shadow clone.

Sakura grabbed a kunai from her inner pocket of her backpack, which luckily hadn't been drifted away from her, and limped away hoping she'd soon find her friends. She wondered if they had made it, if Naruto had managed to keep hold until Chie reached him. She found herself hoping they wouldn't go searching for her, as it seemed that she was only a burden. A weak, injured little girl, who thought she could achieve something by acting mean and tough.

Sakura shivered as she was soaking wet, cold water dripping from her hair and warm tears forming in her eyes with anger.

She halted as a wave of pain rushed through her lower stomach. She touched her bandaged wounds, remains from her fight with Madara in the genjutsu he used on her, and they felt hot. She was bleeding again. Her legs started shaking and she grunted.

"Dammit!"

She kneeled weakly and placed her palms under her shirt forcing chakra through them to heal the open wounds. This was beginning to get really annoying and Sakura blamed herself and herself only. Exhaustion covered her body and she felt more and more tired.

She had been weak and reckless… once more… and darkness covered everything.

* * *

"SAKURA!"

Naruto and Chie were running endlessly along the shoreline of the river trying to find Sakura. They were panting but they never stopped, even though they were exhausted, hungry and in pain.

Chie halted by the river searching the rough surface of the river. There was no sign of hers.

Naruto looked at her over his shoulder, his lungs aching with every breath.

"Nothing!" Chie told him frowning.

Naruto grunted angrily and kept running searching for any sing, any sign at all. It was his fault, he knew Sakura was still severely injured and he forced them to cross the strong river as if they all were in perfect shape. He clenched his fists fighting to stay focused. When his clones vanished as soon as Chie had reached the shore, all of his clones' memories and experiences flooded him. The way each clone felt when Sakura was forced over his body, the way she looked at them apologizing every time, the way she looked at him when his clone told her that she could do it. But then there was this one memory that confused him.

A memory which felt wrong. As if someone had told him a story so vivid that felt real, but still it was not his. And then Sakura's terror reflected in her turquoise eyes…

Something had scared her and made her let go of his clone.

"Naruto!" he heard Chie's voice behind him and stopped looking at her.

"What is it?"

"Look!"

Chie pointed at some stains on the bare rocks by the river. Naruto kneeled and touched the warm red substance.

"It's… blood!" he gasped.

"She's bleeding!" Chie said as if she couldn't believe it.

"What shall we do? Oh no! I shouldn't have left her from my sight! I knew she was injured!" Chie cried letting finally her tears fall.

Naruto stood up grabbing Chie by her shoulders. She looked suddenly so small, so vulnerable. Normally you'd see a strong, self-confident young kunoichi, but now she was completely the opposite. Like she finally came face to face with the reality of the life of a ninja.

Naruto lifted her chin slightly to make her look him in the eye.

"Hey! Chie-chan!" he whispered, not really knowing how he suddenly could act so calm. "We both knew she was still weak from her injuries, but now we can't worry about this."

Chie lifted her dark brown eyes up to him.

"Sakura is strong. She's way stronger than we all think! I'm sure she has already healed her wounds all by herself and is heading already towards Jiraya." He said with a smile. Chie's eyes sparkled. "She will be alright even without us! I'm sure of it!" he told her, but his eyes still glanced once more at the thick stains of blood on the rocks.

He saw her sparkling eyes once again through his clone's memory biting the inside of his cheeks.

_I'll find you, Sakura… but until then promise me you'll be alright…_

_

* * *

_

Pearl white clouds shifted in front of her eyes. An intense smell of alcohol reached her nostrils.

"Double the dose."

There was a clicking sound and some whispers which she couldn't understand.

The clouds were fading away and she could see bright sources of light above her. She tried to blink, wishing the smell of alcohol would subside sometime…

"Ehm!"

"What? Can't you perform a simple injection, Masaki-san?" some deep voice growled causing a shiver to cross her spine.

Something didn't feel right. She knew her eyes were open, but still she couldn't see a thing. Where was she. Who were those people and what dose were they talking about.

"Shit!"

"Take her down, now!"

There were heavy footsteps and the clouds returned in her vision as she heard a voice calling her name…

* * *

Pain reminds us that we are alive and gives value to those feelings that are worth fighting for and living for. Pain is welcome, because there is always this one worse state; the one she was right now. There was nothing, no pain at all. Only numbness all over her body. And when she tried to move, she could feel nothing, neither the fresh air on her skin causing the hair to rise, nor the exhaustion of her muscles, nothing at all, making it impossible to know if she was dead or alive. It was as if her entire body was still asleep.

Except her brain.

Memories swirled behind her eyelids, mixed with imaginary experiences. There were faces she knew and faces she didn't know but were still familiar to her. There were places she's been, and places she's heard of. She could hear the waves crushing angrily somewhere not far away and the seagulls' flapping wings above the splashes of water, but she couldn't smell the humid air, taste and feel the salt on her skin. Instead she could feel a very familiar scent caress her nostrils. A scent that belonged to someone… but she couldn't tell whom it belonged to…

And then, in a sudden, she felt like emerging from the ice cold water and finally she could breathe again. Her diaphragm broke in spasms and it hurt. Every inhale pierced through her torso, through her chest like a thousand knives.

Her eyes were shut tight as she was fighting to control the panic attack. She pressed her stomach with her palms forcefully trying hard to breathe normally, but the panting wouldn't subside.

"Shh!" she heard a hush next to her, but she didn't look. She kept putting pressure on her stomach forcing calm thoughts to flood her fear. She tried to remember the scent, but the Sharingan returned in her memory.

The panting grew faster again and her lower stomach was burning.

_Naruto…_

She tried to remember him, the warmth of his hand around hers, the hope radiating from his bright blue eyes. How important he was to her and still… she couldn't tell him that. She missed him. And as she lingered between this half illusionary, half real state of mind she realized that right now she missed Naruto more than Sasuke…

His lips on hers, his hands cupping her scarred face, the peace that surrounded her and the calm that eased her heart…

She took a deep breath desiring so much to feel like this again and the spasms felt faint under her palms. Her body felt heavy and numb and she let herself fall back to where she was.

"Haruno-san!" someone whispered next to her. It was a soft voice, but she couldn't tell if it was a man's or a woman's voice.

She opened her eyes tired and saw a young man standing next to her, wearing a light blue coat over black clothes. His dark short hair was shining strangely under the intense artificial light and he lifted his hand to fix the square glasses resting low on his slightly crooked nose. Sakura felt even sleepier as she was watching into the man's dark green eyes.

"Wh-who-"

"I'm Natsuki Masaki, a medic-ninja from the Land of Snow." He said calmly hardly parting his lips as he was speaking.

Sakura frowned sighing.

A medic-nin was attending her, which meant someone had taken her from the river. Naruto and Chie must be looking for me, she thought intensely.

"Where-am I?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"You should rest now! You've been through much!" he told her with a friendly tone as he lifted the blanket over her body to cover her up to her chin.

Sakura felt her lower stomach aching and clenched her fists.

"Where am I?" she asked again not caring if she sounded angry, or impolite. She just couldn't bear the thought of Naruto blaming himself for losing her, or worse the possibility that Madara could take advantage of them being apart and attacking them. Naruto _was_ the greatest threat against Madara's plans.

Sakura shivered and looked at that Masaki with an intense stare.

The man took off his glasses placing them in a small pocket over his chest and leaned closer to Sakura causing her to flinch protectively.

He didn't look at her, but simply did something under Sakura's metallic bed.

"In a Research clinic in the northern part of the Land. You _should _know!" he whispered enough loud for only her to listen.

Sakura gasped unintentionally with the information. The man stood up casually and gave her a fake, friendly smile.

"Rest now, Haruno-san! Time goes by really slow here!" he said and left her vision.

Sakura heard his smooth footsteps and then a door open and shut.

She tried to look around, seeing nothing but an empty white room with covered windows at one end and a machine next to her bed. It was a rather spacious room and it looked so empty, so cold. She grunted as she lifted herself up and tried to stand up. It felt as if a million needles were piercing her legs. Her entire body was covered with bandages, her limbs, her torso and she was wearing a simple cotton dress.

She wondered where her stuff and weapons were, but guessing where she was, her weapons would definitely be secured somewhere. She limped towards the windows and shoved the dark curtains away.

Sakura gasped terrified seeing one very familiar face inside the other room through which she could see.

Kuroi was standing inside that other empty white room, his both hands resting on the handle of his katana hanging from his belt where the stamp of the Land of Snow was carved on a metal plate. Her eyes met his blue ones and a smile appeared on his scarred face with a tattoo covering his left cheek down to his neck. His long, cupper red hair and beard made him look even more fiercesome, but Sakura made sure she showed nothing of her terror and surprise on her face. She simply stared back, making sure she gave him the message that she wasn't scared at all. Only angry.

Kuroi nodded greeting her with his own way and Sakura closed the curtains in response.

She walked back to her bed grabbing the blanket and fixing it on her shoulders as a coat.

If this was indeed the clinic she knew, the clinic this Masaki said it was, then she was far away from the boarders of the Fire Country and the Land of Snow. Naruto and Chie were far away, probably searching for her in vain.

She shivered again trying to remember the whereabouts of this clinic.

She looked through her memories, remembering the huge library where she had spent so many hours a day doing her own personal research on the Sharingan and the well lit rooms with a beautiful view on the snow-covered mountains surrounding and hiding the secrets of this place. This clinic was a well-founded scientific centre of the five Great Shinobi Lands, where research was taking place considering elemental techniques, herbal and venomous potions, chakra manipulation, and, most importantly, genetic chakra abilities of well-known powerful clans.

Rin had sent her here, after she had informed her of Kakashi's problem with his foreign Sharingan. Here she found the technique to heal him, here she tried to find out what had caused Sasuke to die, the day he saved Naruto from death. Why Sasuke's Sharingan had failed him…

Sakura had never been inside rooms like this one, and she was sure there was no easy way to get out knowing Kuroi, and of course Uchiha Madara, were behind her ending up all the way here.

Sakura halted by the door trying to listen what was happening outside. When she grew impatient from the long silence, she opened the door to find an empty corridor. The artificial light was so bright it made her eyes ache. Everywhere were doors leading probably to other strange rooms which could be watched through windows from the next one.

With no weapons and so little energy flowing inside her she was vulnerable, but she had to get out. She had to at least know why she was here being watched by that Kuroi, even if she still couldn't trust that Masaki's words of her location.

She decided to run towards the opposite direction of that room where Kuroi was and ended up in another identical corridor with more doors.

"Could this be…!" she wondered looking around for any flaws of this genjutsu.

There is no other explanation, she thought and linked her palms forcing a little amount of chakra through as she tried to calm down and let this illusion fade away. Finding it rather calming, she brought Naruto back in her mind and the strange world around her disappeared as the humming of the chakra through her palms covered the silence.

She opened her eyes again, but nothing had changed. She was still standing in the middle of that white corridor.

Suddenly, there was a feeling of an unwelcome heaviness on the back of her neck; the feeling that somebody was watching her.

"Dammit!" she grunted and glanced over her shoulder to scan her surroundings.

Her eyes flickered trying to distinguish any shadow moving, but the artificial light was so intense it erased any darkness…

She decided to reach the end of the corridor, until she'd find some way out, but the longer she walked it seemed that nothing changed; the well lit corridors, the endless doors, empty white rooms… and during the whole time she would glance over her shoulder feeling too aware of herself.

There was no end… and the fear had become unbearable. So she decided to take a shortcut.

Sakura clenched her right fist in front of her face shutting her eyes and forcing whatever chakra was left inside of her in her hand until it glowed with a dim blue light. When the energy flowing in it felt right, Sakura punched the floor beneath her and it quaked under her feet.

A cloud of dirt hid her view, but she could distinguish a hole in the ground, so she jumped down.

She ran away from the cloud coughing and feeling her wounds worse than before from her sudden movements. She put pressure on her lower stomach and continued running. She noticed this corridor was darker and looked more normal. There were even windows and when she halted in front of one she gasped seeing a very familiar view…

Mountains, an endless plain and a forest…

She was indeed in the clinic in the north of the Land of Snow, where she had been before. The only difference was that back then everything was white covered.

That meant Chie and Naruto were far away to find her.

Sakura swore under her breath and flinched when she noticed a man beside her. She recognized him as that Masaki. He approached giving her a concerned and agitated look.

"What are you doing, Haruno-san?" he whispered looking around nervously.

Sakura frowned with his behavior.

"I'm escaping." She said simply and walked away tightening the blanket around her torn body.

"Hey!" Masaki hissed and ran after her grabbing her wrist. Sakura glared at him annoyed.

"Who are you?" she growled having the feeling that this man was not who he was.

"If they find out, they'll kill you!" he hissed with a trembling voice that made Sakura part her lips. She thought Masaki had been the one following her, but according to his behavior it didn't seem like it… but still she couldn't trust a stranger.

"Who will? _Kuroi_?" I asked harshly.

Masaki looked at her with such a serious look that made Sakura flinch.

"Oh no! Not him! Come with me!" he ordered her and, holding her wrist tight, he ran forcing her with him, but Sakura easily released her hand and took a defensive posture.

"Don't you dare touch me again! Whoever you are, I'm escaping alone! So either you let me go or I'll kill you!" she hissed not hesitating a single bit.

Masaki frowned and looked down lowering his face slightly.

"Forgive me, Haruno-san! It's just… I'm…" he looked up at her again with an expression that reflected fear and pain. "I barely know myself what's going on here! You have to believe me, I…" he came closer to her hesitantly as if he was afraid of her. "…I came here two months ago for practicum to become a medic-nin. And soon I found out that many people in here were acting strangely, acting and working secretly until… until this red-haired-"

"Kuroi?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, him. Until he started watching over my every move. He said his employer was interested in me and that he had a great deal to offer me…"

Sakura frowned feeling her heart beat wildly.

"His employer…" she repeated to herself. Could it be that Madara was controlling the clinic…

"You seem to have known from the beginning that something wasn't right. That's why I tried to help your condition!" he whispered with a trembling voice.

Sakura looked at him with parted lips. The thought that Uchiha Madara could be here made her heart ready to explode. This could have saved them a long journey through the Land of Snow, and most importantly Chie's and Naruto's lives…

She rubbed her temples as she remembered those faint voices that one moment she had partly awakened in a white room. She had heard Masaki, and something about a dose…

"What did you put into me?" she asked in an undertone.

Masaki lowered his eyes rubbing his hands under his light blue coat's sleeves. Sakura noticed a golden chain around his wrist, with a tag she couldn't read. She wondered if this man was another innocent pawn of Uchiha Madara…

"Anaesthetics. They wanted to look into your chakra network. I heard… it was extraordinary for some reason, and my employer… actually he seems to be the employer of everyone around here now, he was interested in you."

Sakura remembered the eyes filled with pain and tears of her beloved mentor when she had told her that Madara had visited one night and announced to her that he was after Sakura herself. And then Kuroi speaking of those _shinobi of blossoms_, a once powerful clan that ruled the former Land of Snow, known back then as the Land of Spring…

If she was truly a descendant of that supposedly once existing clan, that meant she possessed the abilities, or at least some of them, which made her a threat against Uchiha Madara and his plans, and that's why he wanted to have her examined… possibly verify her identity and her origin…

But even if she _was_ one of those _shinobi of blossoms_, why wasn't she already _dead_…

"Have you seen this employer of yours?" Sakura asked Masaki.

He furrowed his eyebrows, his eyes flickering around.

"No… no one has…" he muttered.

"And what about my chakra network. What did you find?"

Masaki scratched his head avoiding her eyes.

"Why?"

"I asked first and then I tell you why!" Sakura hissed.

Masaki chuckled nervously.

"Well, I wasn't allowed to see the results!"

"But you were there when they checked me, right?" she asked impatience growing inside her.

"Look, I'm nothing but an inferior student here, so I was only responsible for putting you down and close all those wounds of yours." He answered sounding impatient himself.

Sakura sighed and she felt that strange feeling of someone staring at her again.

She didn't move though, since she could locate that stranger being behind her somewhere…

"Do you happen to know at least, where those results could be?" she whispered.

Masaki nodded.

"Yeah, sure!"

Sakura frowned with that silly smile on his face. For a moment she hoped she had enough chakra to make the Memory Retrieval Technique on him, so that she could get rid of him and act solitary, but her legs were too shaky and her lower stomach threatened to bleed all over once again if she acted foolishly. So she had to accept that young man's help for now, and keep an eye on that stranger who was burning her back with his stare…

* * *

**Thanx for reading, and if you have any questions or if something doesn't stick up with the story dont hesitate to ask! Take care :)**


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